


Lonely Eyes

by TooObsessedForMyOwnGood



Series: The Angel Among Us [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: After an incomplete genocide run, Alphys and undyne are so adorable, Canon Sans, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Frisk is gone, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Most characters will not be presented until later, Multi, Not sure how long I can keep this up, Reader Has A Name, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is fragile, Reader is jumpy, Reader is not determined enough, Reader will have certain look, Sans is an emotional wreck, Slow Burn, Sort Of, The Angel - Freeform, The Underground (Undertale), Will get very fluffy, You didn't hear anything, it's raining somewhere else, wait wut?, wtf am i doing with my life, you will bow down to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-24 23:17:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 46,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14365827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooObsessedForMyOwnGood/pseuds/TooObsessedForMyOwnGood
Summary: I made this entirely and got up to about chapter 11 before deciding to post it. I've been into undertale since the day it was born and OH MAI GAWD. Excuse me if i happen to make any typos along the way. Hopefully not as I will be editing and reading these over as best as possible. Don't expect frequent updates after chapters 10 and/or 11. Also, i'm sorta new to posting stuff on here, so please forgive me if i'm slow with this sorta thing. The first at least 9 or 10 chapters will be short and more of a slow burn type of thing, but hopefully I can make them longer in the future. here we go guys.______It had been at least 15 years since the last human had fallen down. They'd been a mercilious human, one that had dusted almost every monster in the underground. Leaving the rest to lose hope as their king, queen, and all of the royal guard had been taken down by a measley human. A child, at that.Now, the next human to fall was one that had no intentions of such things, but Sans was prepared to put this one down much quicker if they proved to be a threat.Though, they both find out quickly that things were going to be much different then they'd both planned.





	1. Columns and Corridors

The ground hit hard, though, not as hard as you had been expecting. The fall felt too long to survive, and really it should have been. But, there you were. The feeling of large soft petals against your arms made you realize that you should probably get up. You felt incredibly sore all over your body. It was a rough landing, and not even a fluffy patch of large flowers would be able to stop that. You sit up, feeling like the world was spinning.  
You wince as pain shoots through your head. Though, deep down you knew it would be a matter for later. You look around slowly, making sure not to make yourself sick. The room looked to be falling apart. The only thing holding the earth above it up was the seven white, chiseled columns. Although, there were other columns that were crumbling as well. The vines that wrapped around them and up the walls made it look like the vegetation was trying to take over the entirety of the room. You, very carefully, sit up. The only exit was a small corridor that led to another entrance.  
You walk over, careful not to slip. There was no way you could get out of whatever this was.

You make your way through the rooms with the patches of grass and are welcomed by a room of purple. There was a door just ahead that appeared to be jammed open. It wasn’t open all the way, so you would have to squeeze through. You walk past the odd pressure plates on the floor, and attempt to squeeze yourself through. With just enough room, you make it to the next room. With every room you passed, it appeared there were traps and puzzles set everywhere. It was spine-chillingly quiet. Not a single sign of life was in these rooms. It irked you... a lot.  
You hugged yourself in attempts to keep calm and focus on your surroundings. You make it past plenty of contraptions and purple walls until eventually, you reach a room with two separate ways. One was more open, with a large, overgrown, and most definitely dead, tree in the center. The other, was a simple corridor.  
You make your way down the corridor instead. Down that way, was a balcony. You supposed it was just your luck to run into a dead end on the route that looked the safest.

You look out upon the many buildings. The view was stunning, and at the same time, creepy. Although, that could just be your imagination. The buildings were all different sizes, shapes, and color. You thought about how each one must have held some importance to something or someone. Who exactly had been living down here in a place like this?  
Your thoughts tended to overlap reality, asking questions you wouldn’t dare ask aloud to anyone. It was a habit that you had grown into.  
You look away from the view, and make your way back to go the other direction. The tree was almost black, which you had bad feelings about. You had even power walked past it, just to avoid any unwanted attention. There stood a set of large doors. They were big enough to fit about a 7 or 8 foot person, which, in itself, was far too tall for a human being.  
You push as hard as you can against the doors, just barely able to make enough room to go through. It seemed that the place hadn’t been touched in years. It was uncared for, forgotten by whoever had built it or lived in it. Everything was dusty, making you cough or sneeze when you wanted to pick up something. There were books everywhere you looked.  
It made you curious, but you might have had an asthma attack if you tried to read one.

It looked like an average everyday family home gone wrong. And that’s probably what it was, honestly. You don’t like to snoop in on other people’s stuff, it gave you a sick feeling of guilt to hang around in the back of your throat and stomach.  
The most you would do was look around. You started walking towards the left, seeing a dining room, fireplace, recliner, and even more books. You hear a crunching sound beneath your feet, making you immediately take a step back. Had you broken something? You pick up the item you stepped on, and it appeared to be a picture frame. The glass was completely broken into pieces, probably no thanks to you. The picture inside had been more than halfway burned. The only thing left was the brown hair of someone. You decide not to press further into the picture, and place it gently on the table. There was a small side room, which appeared to be the kitchen. It looked pretty bare compared to the messy rooms from before. You shake your head, then leave the room entirely.  
You now made your way down the creaky stairs, making sure none of them broke beneath your feet. You had already fallen from a great distance once, you don’t want to do it again.  
You go through another purple corridor, and reach an open room. Nothing was there except some dust, not a lot, strewn across the floor. It gave you chills for some reason. You do your best to step over the small pile of dust, and reach for the tall doors. Thee doors were even larger than the last set. Almost a staggering 10 feet tall!  
Now why in the world would someone need such large doors? You thought to yourself. You tug on the door, and it opens much easier than the others. You were grateful for that, considering you weren’t sure how many more rusted and broken doors you could pull on before your arms would become weaker.  
When the door swings open, your hit with a chilling wind, sending you back a little. You cover your face as something cold hits you like a brick. It was snow. How in the world did any of this make sense? The wind? The falling snow? Under a mountain? This had to be some sort of ludicrous dream. One that you would never forget, that’s for sure.  
You rub your arms, trying to keep warm as you trudged along through the snow. The crisp winter cold definitely kept you on your toes. Though, it probably didn’t help your condition after falling a great distance. You look around you, seeing mostly just tall trees and snow. The cold nipped at you, as if trying to tell you to turn back and stop trying... or maybe that was just you telling yourself that. You keep walking until you approach a small bridge. Next to it was a gate with largely spaced, wooden bars. It lied in the snow, being unused like almost everything else down here.  
You crouch down to brush your fingers against the splitting wood. Suddenly, a strange snapping noise is heard behind you, making you jump back up to your feet. You’re unable to turn around though. But, that you couldn’t help. That has been your defensive system since you were able to walk. You freeze up, unable to move or talk because that’s how afraid you get. You decide to keep moving forward. Maybe if you don’t acknowledge the movement, whatever it is will leave you be? That was, truthfully, unlikely. But you had no other choice. You held yourself tight, and walked past the bridge.  
You kept walking, not turning back only because of what might be there when you turn. The snow crunches beneath you, leaving you to listen as nothing else could be heard but the crisp wind. You don’t stop at any of the oddly placed stands or randomly placed tables. You just keep going. Because... you’re a baby. You’re a big baby who can barely hold her own. You’ve always been this way, and you kept it that way. It was almost as if you had a mild case of Panophobia.

You bite your lip as you keep going, wondering whether or not any of this will be worth it in the end. What will happen if you find that there is no way out of this mountain? You certainly didn’t feel safe down here, and the fact that something or someone could be following you doesn’t help that feeling.  
You’re sort of tired by now. You’ve been walking for some time now after falling several feet, almost to your death. You just want to be able to lay down without feeling the urge to protect yourself constantly. You want to take a break and not feel as if someone was watching you. You need to stop a moment...  
But you can’t.  
Your paranoia is too strong. You can’t fight it as well as you wished, so you just keep moving...


	2. Warm, Fierce, and Mysterious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is now entering Snowdin, unaware of what is to come and when she will be able to feel safe again.

Your lips are probably starting to turn blue. I’m going to die down here. You thought, and no one will bother to care. Your shivering and chattering teeth are clear signs that it’s too cold for someone like you to be out here. You’d been walking past broken puzzles, snow, guard stations (as it had read on the plate), more snow, and trees. It seemed like it never ended, and the odds were definitely not in your favor. Luckily, you hadn’t heard anything else that signified someone or something was stalking you. So, you had definitely calmed down a bit.  
But, you still felt that whatever this place was, it was eerie.  
You feel your fingers go slightly numb as you read a sign.

Welcome To Snowdin Town

There were string lights across the sign, below the sign, around the sign... they were everywhere. And they didn’t even work anymore so it seemed. You disregard the broken down sign, and see... buildings. You felt your hopes go up, and walk into the first one you see. But, those hopes were immediately let down. It was still kind of cold. No heating, blankets, or even coats. It was dusty, as expected, and no one was inside. Has the town been abandoned completely? But why?  
You sighed, and went around the counter. It appeared that this use to be a small shoppe. So, maybe an actual home would have better luck? You hoped that was the case. The last home probably had something, but you weren’t aware that the temperature would drop so quickly.

You find nothing special except a random scarf that lied alone. You took the scarf, and wrapped it around your neck. It wasn’t much, but at this point anything would do. You had hoped for a pair of gloves even, but none could be found.  
You prepare yourself to leave the shoppe, and make sure that you can handle a bit more. You exit, feeling the cold against your sensitive skin once more. Next, you go to a little place that only had Inn written on the front.  
There must be beds there. With blankets, and pillows... and maybe even some food if I’m lucky. You go in without hesitation, and find cobwebs here and there. The abandonment was no surprise to you anymore, and you continue your search of the place. Behind the desk, you only find a small bell that most hotels would use and a paperclip. Both of which were useless to you.  
So, you make your way up the steps and you began to check each room. To your relief, there were at least beds there. But, none of them had any kind of bedding. Each room had been stripped. You groan and hug yourself. It was so cold, even just inside. You hated the cold more than anything. You lean back against the wall, then slide down, curling yourself up into a ball.  
You couldn’t keep going anymore anyway. Every single one of your limbs were in pain, you were halfway numb due to the amount of cold, and you had no food or drink.  
I’m going to die.  
I’m going to die.  
I’m going to die...

“who are you?” your eyes widen, and you’re frozen again. Someone had been following you. You look up slowly, unsure of what else to do. Right in front of you was a skeleton. A walking, talking, breathing skeleton. He had his hands in his pockets, and he looked kind of hostile. Like, if you answered incorrectly, he would rip you to shreds. He wore a blue hoodie, some plain basketball shorts, and black and white sneakers.  
He must not be able to feel temperature. A skeleton...? I’d heard rumors... but I didn’t actually think...

“hello? anybody in there?” he says, breaking your train of thought. He had asked you who you were. “M-M-My name is... is Ni-Nicole.” your words had been said with a sense of fear in your voice. You could barely speak due to the weather and the angry skeleton in front of you. He stared at you a moment, as if analyzing you. He was more stern than one could imagine. Then, he takes off the hoodie and hands it to me. “you look like you’re gonna turn into a popsicle any minute.” he says, his expression changed slightly. But he was still pretty serious.  
You hesitantly take the hoodie. “Th-Thank you...” You say quietly. You hoped that he had actually heard you. “no problem.” he says as you quickly pull it over your head. You could immediately feel it’s warmth not only from all the fuzz on the inside, but from him wearing it for so long. It was so much better than your tank top. Of course, you would have worn better clothes if you’d known you’d be going from the middle of summer to mid-winter.

“ya fall down?” he asks, making you look back up at him. You nod, knowing that it would be better than saying something you might regret later. He holds out his hand to help you up. Of course, you didn’t immediately take it. “don’t worry hun, i ain’t gonna hurt ya or anything.” he says, making you realize how deep his voice was. Why you had just now noticed was beyond you. You take a minute to survey your surroundings. You sigh, then carefully take his hand. He helps you to your feet, then let’s go right after. “see?” he says with a shrug. I rub my right arm, embarrassed.  
You’re so socially awkward that it was embarrassing yourself. ugh...  
“c’mob. we’d better get you somewhere warm.” he says. You nod, unsure of where that meant exactly. “we could walk... but I’m sure you’re done doing that by now.” he says, looking directly over to me. He still seemed serious though. Maybe that was just his character? “follow me, i know a short cut.” he says, and he starts to walk. You stare a moment, but walk with him as soon as you come back to reality. 

He tells you to take a hold of him, and you do. It made you feel super weird. Especially considering you’d just met him not even 5 minutes ago. You blink, and when your eyes open, you’re somewhere else. You let go of the stranger, looking around frantically. It was a restaurant of sorts, but the lights were on and the heat hit you hard. That’s exactly what you needed to be honest.  
Teleportation... Interesting...  
You hadn’t ever experienced magic before. You had always been intrigued by magic in general though, ever since that person survived the fall themself. And came back to tell the story.  
You recall them speaking about the monsters kindly. How they were just an imprisoned race looking for a means to not just survive, but see the sun once more. It warmed your heart, but for others, they thought that they had hit their head too hard.  
“ya gonna sit down?” the stranger asks you, and you look over to him. He was sitting at a bar area, though him and I seemed to be the only ones here. “s’ closed right now. but when i saw you earlier near the ruins, i asked grillby if he could at least keep the heat and lights on.” he says as you take your seat next to him.  
“W-Who is Grillby?” you asked. He grabs a stray ketchup bottle from the spot next to him and opens it up a little to check if there was any left. Before he could respond, a man made entirely of fire walks out from the back. “oh, speak of the devil. hey grillbs.” sans waves, and then proceeds to drink from the ketchup bottle.

You feel yourself internally cringing.

Grillby nods to you and waves. You wave back slightly. Unsure what else to do. Although, you did find yourself staring at Grillby a lot more than you’d have thought 2 minutes ago. You always found fire to be a fascinating thing. It was warm and beautiful in your fireplaces or a candle. Even a lighter or match would look nice. But, it could also wipe out several buildings at a time if it so chose to. It was warm and fierce and mysterious.  
“anyways, suppose i better introduce myself.” the skeleton says, turning to you. “i’m sans. sans the skeleton. welcome to the underground hun.” he says to you.  
The name goes through your brain a few times. It definitely wasn’t a popular name, after all it’s a font. But, there have been way weirder.  
“n-nice to meet you...” you twiddle your fingers shyly. He faces back to Grillby. “hey grillbs. can i get a basket of fries for the girl?” he asks, and grillby simply nods and makes his way into the back. “Grillby hasn’t really been charging anyone for the food and such nowadays.” sans starts. “After what happened with the last human, money has been cut low. It still runs for the most part, but ya won’t see very many people buying or selling anything down here much more.”  
It was such an odd detail to tell you, and you knew it for sure. “What do you mean?” this time, you had a bit more confidence in your voice. He sighs. “the underground wasn’t so bare before they showed up. They wiped out a great deal of monsters. now only a few of us still live down here.” he leans his phalange into his cheek bone. “we were lucky enough that any of us survived really.” It saddened you. It was odd. Why would someone who claimed to have been taken well care of by the monsters kill almost every last one? It sent a chill up your spine. “That’s odd.” you remark silently. Sans catches it, and looks over to you expectantly. “how so?” he looked... tired. Completely worn out instead of that serious facade from earlier.  
It makes sense why he was so hostile at first though. And there’s no way in hell his guard has been knocked down that easily. 

“I saw them on TV once. They were going on about how you were so kind to them and all. How you guys were pretty much harmless.” you held yourself close, still taking in as much warmth as possible. “Of course, it’s definitely not the first time the human race has acted so disgustingly.” you mumble to yourself. To be honest, he probably caught that too. But, you didn’t mind if he had or not.  
Grillby returns with a freshly made basket of french fries. They smell good!  
You thank him and he nods in return, then leaves to the back room. You take one and eat it, and you could tell that the food was made from a magical energy of sorts. It makes sense. You thought.  
“so, lemme ask ya something hun.” he says, sitting up a bit straighter. “i know you probably wouldn’t tell me if i asked, but ya seem like a nice gal.” he starts. “you ain’t got any plans to kill the rest of us off, do ya?” Sans’ eye lights went out as soon as he asked you that, giving you shivers. You shook your head as intense as possible to get your point across. “N-No! O-Of course not! Honestly, I d-don’t think I even have it in m-me to do that to anyone. Regardless of race.” you say softly by the end. His eye lights return, and he analyses you. You look down at your fries, and eat a few as he stares at you. “good. cuz, like i said, you seem pretty nice.” he says, leaning forward again into the same position from before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I welcome any comments and kudos with open arms!  
> And remember. PLEASE DON'T NOOGIE THE PHONE! ;)  
> Thx.


	3. Good for the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Sans chit chat before a nights rest.
> 
> Laptop is at 4% oml.

You can feel your eyes get heavier and heavier by the minute. The long way from the surface to Snowdin had been a rough one, and you were paying the price for it. You’d finished your fries a while ago, and you had just been making small talk with Sans. He told you about who was left in the underground and their new rules. “yeah, after the king died, alphys and I were forced to be in charge.” you knew Alphys was the royal scientist. “so, we figured we’d had enough of trying to leave. i mean, a human child had wiped out the majority of our population.” the conversation had been quite sad honestly. “of course, if the opportunity presents itself, we’d try.”  
The whole time he had been telling you that, you could tell he was out of hope. And if what he said was true, most of the underground was out of hope. “but that’s as far as we feel is necessary.”

Now, he was chatting it up with Grillby. Leaving me to think over his words. From your point of view, it sounded awful what that person had done. And you wished that the human race could have any remorse for anyone other than themselves.   
With your experience, you knew how cruel people could be. How cruel humans could be. “It’s disgusting.” you say aloud by accident. Which prompts Sans to look over at you confusedly. “what is?” you felt embarrassed at your sudden outburst, but answer as not to anger him or anything.   
“The things most humans will do for self gain.” you feel your self looking down at your fingers again. “I mean, it’s pretty much every other day all you see on the news is that someone’s been murdered, raped, kidnapped... you name it.” you stop talking, knowing you could go on for days about the topic. He looks at you curiously. “ya know, that’s the first time i’ve ever heard someone trash talk their own race.” he says with a small chuckle. “D-Don’t get me wrong! We have our moments! B-but...” your thinking about it again. Focus.  
“but?” he seemed intrigued by your perspective, which was new to you. “...but when it comes down to it, were the real monsters. Most of us have no care about others like you guys do.”  
You feel as if you’d spilled your guts on this topic, but you love being able to be heard sometimes. Letting something out after a long time can be relieving.   
“huh.” is all he says, and you realize he was staring straight at you again, like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. As if the words were stuck in his throat. Though, not that that makes much sense since he is a skeleton.  
“your different.” he blurts out. Making you self conscious as to what that meant exactly. “I-In a bad way?” you asked. “no, in a good way. you understand that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. you aren’t blinded by your imagination, if that makes any sense to ya.” he turns back to drink more of the ketchup. You supposed he got nothing from it when he checks inside again. “alright, i think we’ve bugged grillby enough today.” he sets the empty container on the counter and stands, making you follow pursuit. 

“Wait, where are you going?” you asked. He gives you a strange look. “what do ya mean?” This perplexed you. What does he mean what do I mean? Though, the thought confuses you a bit. “I mean... where are you going...?” You say, the confusion apparent. “we are going to my place.” You were shocked. You just met this guy, and he’s already being so nice. You weren’t used to this at all.   
“we’ll have to walk, but it isn’t that far away.” he says and he opens the door. When you both step out, the cold felt a lot less intense. That was probably due to the hoodie. I totally forgot I was even wearing it... I should give it back.  
The wind was still hitting pretty harshly though. When we get back.  
You mentally agree with yourself, and keep following him. “I don’t u-understand something.” I say, and he turns to you for a moment. “what’s up?”  
You stuff your hands in the pockets. “I’m sure y-you have your guard up around me after what happened, and I don’t blame you. But, why are you being so...” you were looking for the right word. “...so amiable?” He thinks about your question. You couldn’t really tell what he was thinking. It must have been a rather dumb question to him.

“being kind to someone might be harder than being cruel, but being kind is what makes a person true.” he speaks softly, as if to show that that’s what he wants out of life. It was... inspirational.  
The rest of the way there is silent. You realize how depressing your conversations had been all evening. From someone murdering most of the underground to your view on your own species as a whole... it had been an eventful and terrifying day. It was starting to make your head pound again. “here it is.” he says suddenly, bringing you to a sudden stop. It looked like a wooden cabin with string christmas lights wrapped around the entire place. Half of the lights didn’t work, which reminded you of the towns sign. 

He lets us both inside, and the first thing you notice is the fireplace. It had fire in it already, and it didn’t look like it was going out any time soon. It has to be magic to have stayed up on it’s own for this long. You take your hands out of the pockets, and take the scarf off of your neck. You set it down on a nearby table, and watch sans as he takes off his sneakers. “So... why am I here exactly?” I asked him, unsure what to do or where to go. “ya looked like you were about to pass out back there. figured you’d want a place to rest for a bit.” he shrugs, standing back up. “Oh... I c-could have just stayed in that inn or something. There was n-no need to do th-this.” Your tics and stutters were coming back.   
“s’ no trouble at all. ‘sides, those beds aren’t the comfiest considering they’ve been stripped bare.” he says to you, putting his hands in the pockets of his basketball shorts. It reminded you of his hoodie, which you were still wearing. You suddenly panic a little, and pull off the blue hoodie.

“H-Here. I t-totally forgot I had been wearing it.” I hand him it back. He takes and thanks you softly. You stood there as he hung it up on the coat rack. You could hear the wind up against the building, swishing crazily. The wind must have picked up. You thought to yourself. “anyways, you can sleep on the couch. i’ll bring ya a pillow and blanket in a minute.” he says, and takes his leave into, what appeared to be, the kitchen. You rub your hands together to make sure you wouldn’t get any colder, and decide to sit on the floor in front of the fireplace.   
It made you think about Grillby.  
You watched and listened as the flames crackled against the wood. Grillby couldn’t speak normally like everyone else, so it seemed. You noticed that right away. He had been having a conversation with Sans earlier, but it seemed pretty one sided to you. Maybe only Sans can hear him? But why only him? There has to be a logical reason behind it, right? Not just... magic. Of course, the world has never made sense.  
You keep your knees to your chest, making you feel more secure. In any other situation, you’d go back another day and maybe ask him. Get to know him. I mean, surely he can write... right?  
Though, you knew you had to get back to the surface. Or... you felt obligated to anyway. Sans was okay, as far as you could tell. But, something about the underground as a whole gave you shivers up your spine. And it’s not just because it’s cold as hell down here.  
“here, this might help keep ya warm.” Sans interrupts your thought process. You turn and see him sitting down next to you. He was holding two mugs full of some sort of brown liquid. “What i-is it?” you asked, taking the mug he was offering to you. “hot chocolate. i hear it’s good for the soul.” he shrugs and winks. “or maybe i’m thinking of soup.” the small, light-hearted joke gives you a small smile. 

You thank him, and take a sip. It tasted pretty good. Again, you could sense that there was some sort of magical energy inside, which made the cocoa even better. And for a moment, what he had said made sense. Good for the soul... huh?

It goes silent between the two of you, giving you the opportunity to delve back into your thoughts and the fire. You watch the orange flames, feeling peaceful for once since you came down here. Though, you always found fire calming. You remember when you were little, you had gotten curious, and lit a match while your mother wasn’t home. You had burned yourself, and covered up your little mistake as quickly as possible.  
Then, about a year later, you had invested in your very own lighter. Just to watch it when times got rough or complicated. It calmed your anxiety entirely. Of course, your mother had caught you with it, but had no real proof you’d been smoking or anything. Which you weren’t.  
At least not for a while you wouldn’t.  
You shut your eyes, and take in the smell. The mixture of burning wood and hot chocolate resonated through the air. You can’t remember the last time you had drank this stuff. You couldn’t even remember if you liked it or not, that was if you’d even had any before.   
“so how did ya end up in a place like this?” he asks softly. It makes you turn to look at him. You had no true intentions of falling down a gaping hole in the side of the mountain, but once it was happening, you didn’t mind if you’d have died or lived. 

“I-It’s complicated...” you trail off, staring back at the fire. He just gives a soft and quick hum to signify that he wouldn’t press any further into the subject. You take another sip of your beverage, and sigh deeply. I’m not going to make it out of here. That’s for sure. But if I don’t at least try i’ll never forgive myself. “i’ll leave ya to your thoughts, lemme just grab your stuff then i’m out for the night.” Sans stands to his feet after taking a small sip of his own drink.   
He walks upstairs and into some room, leaving you by yourself for another moment. You set the drink beside you, and wrap your arms around your legs.   
You were pretty exhausted. You had to keep blinking just to stay awake a little bit longer for him to come back.  
He walks down the steps again, and hands you a decently sized pillow and a pretty thick blanket. “just in case ya get too cold.” he says. When he leaves, you drink what’s left of the drink, and place the empty mug beside the lone scarf. You prepare the couch enough to sleep on, then lay down, covering up with the cozy blanket. You shut your eyes, listening to the soft pops of the fire.   
This has been one hell of a day. And I want it to end now.   
You’re exhausted. Your breathing evens out...

And you sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to click that kudos bottom below if you enjoyed and wish to see more.  
> Also, if you want, comment your ideas, thoughts, or just anything really.  
> And remember, it's rude to talk about someone who is listening...  
> Thx!


	4. The Royal Scientist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader isn't exactly prepared for the royal scientist to come knocking at her door... literally.
> 
> Hello, again :P I'm feeling refreshed now that I actually went to sleep. Thanks for the kudos and such! It means a lot!

You watch as Alphys secures your soul into containment. The aroma of sweat and machinery wafted through the air. This wasn’t how you wanted to spend your day, at all. Though, you don’t really get much of a say in the matter, as you’ve learned previously. The doctor enters the room, and for a moment you want to back up. Run away. But, you know you shouldn’t. Nor is it anyway to treat someone you’ve just recently met.  
He may have been good according to Alphys and Sans, but something about him gave you and your soul off-putting vibes. “Is she ready?” he asks Alphys, and she nods in response. You turn to Sans, who was observing nervously from afar. You had no clue why he was so nervous. It made you nervous. “Good. Let’s start, shall we?” He phrased it like a question, but you all knew there was no question there. It was more like a statement. No... a command.  
Alphys messes with a control panel in front of her and the doctor, and you hear a small whirring of machines from behind you. Sans reassured you that as long as you stayed strong, you’d get through it in no time.  
But that had never been what you were. You were raised paranoid and afraid. Weak. You knew that you wouldn’t be able to help those weakening thoughts of yours.  
Suddenly, a strange feeling is felt all throughout your body and soul. You see it light up from the feeling of unsureness. The feeling gets stronger gradually, and it turns into a soft pain. Not one big enough to have you groaning or screaming, but like a pinch on your arm, or a sudden smack on the face. It doesn’t further from that, and you shut your eyes tight.  
Tight...  
Tighter...  
Tighter-

You open your eyes and lie there. Breathing heavily, and unsure of your true surroundings. It was... a dream.

 

Sans POV

you lean against the door, your mug now on the closest table near your mattress. you weren’t sure what to make of the new human just yet. she seemed to be alright, but that’s how you felt about the kid before the many resets and killing. of course, you knew it would be impossible for the new girl to have such abilities. hell, she didn’t even show signs of a determination soul type. she stuttered with every other sentence and seemed to be so courteous and afraid. she spoke about you with your guard up, but her guard was obviously up more than his. maybe she ain’t used to monsters? i mean, it has been many many decades. i’m sure a human from the new surface would freak out if they saw a living skeleton right in front of ‘em, talking to ‘em.  
but you seemed different. you had a genuine, natural disgust for the way most humans treated anyone else but themselves. even the kid found the good in everyone at first. of course, this ain’t no kid. And it was true. you were pretty much an adult, this he could tell. you also seemed to like fire. or, at least liked staring at the fire. though, you couldn’t blame the girl. you could recall plenty of times where you found yourself just watching such a tempting flame.  
you make your way over to your mattress, and plop down on it. 15 years... and someone else has fallen down that damn mountain. you found it ridiculous how the mountain wasn’t closed off for people to not get through after so many disappearances. maybe that’s just a small example of what she’d been talking about. You recall her exact words from Grillby’s earlier;

“I mean, it’s pretty much every other day all you see is that someone’s been murdered, raped, kidnapped... you name it.”

it sends a shiver down your spine. the dame had a point though. some humans will do anything for self-gain. as long as it helped themselves, they could care less what happened to other people. it was... as she’d put it... disgusting.  
sometimes, it even made you wonder which place was worse. the underground, or the surface.  
though, you remember your brother when you had told him about the sun, the grass, the stars...  
you loved the stars. it was like nicole and fire when it came to the night sky. space had always fascinated you, so much space that no one could even count the distance. it’s never-ending, quiet, and beautiful. oh so beautiful... it reminds you of the times you’d take him to waterfall, and just look up at the reflective stones on the ceiling. he thought they were pretty, and you remember liking them too. though, you’d have much rather taken the real thing.  
you lie down on your back, your arms spread out like a birds wings.  
you’d lost much hope long ago.  
you still loved those shining small dots in the night sky, but you knew you’d never get to see them.  
not even for a second.  
it made you... upset. sad even. though, you haven’t genuinely had a good cry since he died. 15 years ago, when you lost everything. your hands make their way to your face, and you hold your skull for a moment with your eyes closed.  
god, i’m a fucking mess.  
though, as you slip into slumber, your mind goes blank... leaving nothing but the images of those stars in your head.

Readers POV

You sit upright, feeling your heart pound slightly. What was that? No... who was that?  
You are used to having weird, unexplainable dreams. Those were fairly normal. But, you’d never experienced one like that. You weren’t in control of this one. It was as if you’d been watching a movie in someone else’s perspective. Was that me? Was I someone else? And where even was that? It was dusty and dark.  
You sit right on the couch to feel more comfortable. And ‘the doctor’?  
Your brain was fuzzy from the strange dream. Usually, if you’d had a concerning or unsettling dream, you’d go for a walk and clear your mind, if you were able to. But, your current situation caused you to stay inside.  
You remembered calling one of them Alphys. She was this small, yellow dinosaur from what you recalled. She had glasses and a lab coat... That must be the royal scientist Sans had told me about.  
You look around to see if there was some sort of clock but to no avail.  
How do they tell time down here? You had to admit, you were curious how they were actually able to tell whether or not it was day or night. No sun or sky, no clocks, and no calendars.  
You knew that could be pretty unnerving on its own, so you decide against asking Sans about it later. You jump slightly at the sudden sound of knocking. You look over at the door and realize someone must have knocked. “S-Sans open u-up. I-I-It’s cold.” You hear a faint voice on the other end saying Sans’ name, and you stand up immediately and secretly peek through the window. You see... Alphys. From your dream. Only, she was wearing ear muffs and a coat over the lab coat. You see her look your way and immediately back up, almost losing your balance. You hear her mumble something and you make your way up the stairs. You go for the knob of the door he went into but drawback suddenly. I can’t just barge into his room uninvited like that. Stupid.

You knock silently, hoping that he would hear it and not get mad at you. Though you are used to people being angry at you, you hated to upset people or annoy them.  
“yeah?” he sounded like he’d just woken up on the other side. “I-I’m sorry to w-wake you or a-anything... It’s just... well- I mean there’s s-someone at your door.” You said, and the blush was plastered on your face. You were a blubbering mess, and he probably didn’t understand a word you had said. You face-palm, knowing you’d just royally fucked that up.  
The door opens, and you can see how sleepy he truly was. It was almost cute the way he looked right now. As usual, you don’t comment on that. You hear more mumbling and knocks which begin to get louder and louder the longer she waited. He widens his eyes. “crap, i totally forgot she wanted me today.” he says, a small sense of panic in his voice.  
You step aside, allowing him to exit his room. He shuts the door behind him, then walks downstairs. “uh, just stay there. you should be fine. she isn’t against ya or anything but i forgot to tell her you fell down here.” he explains. You nod to him, and he turns toward the door.  
He opens it, and there you see the same dinosaur lizard monster. Just as you’d dreamt. You remember people always saying how dreams could act as predictions, but most believed that was all conspiracy theories and myths. “There you a-are! I-It’s freezing cold o-out here!” she says. You stay hidden as much as possible and try to watch and listen.  
“yeah, sorry alphys. guess i slept in a little later than expected.” he shrugs it off. He lets Alphys in and shuts the door behind her. “I d-decided to bring what I found o-over here since you’ve slept in once again.” She doesn’t seem too upset about it, so it must happen a lot.  
“ah, well, i also found somethin’,” he says, and you could sense that he was a little nervous for some reason. She pulls out a mysterious box from her bag that, quite frankly, you hadn’t noticed earlier.  
“W-What? What did you find?” she asks curiously. You could feel yourself step back and sink into the corner. For some reason, you feel threatened by whatever may come next. Like, she’s going to take you away to whatever that thing was in your dream. And maybe even to whoever ‘the doctor’ was. “W-What are you pointing a-at? The railing?” You hear Alphys’ voice. “uh... no.” sans says as if he were searching for something. Your best guess was you.  
“hun?” he says, and you can hear him walking up the steps. Alphys stays silent, and you look around desperately.  
You felt a sense of panic you couldn’t explain. You were afraid, and you had no idea why. Well, you had some idea, but you didn’t think it was much to freak out over. You stayed curled up in the corner, hoping he wouldn’t drag you out there for Alphys to see, like a fish he had just caught from a lake.  
You see sans standing at the top step, and his sights are on you. “what’s wrong?” he says in a much quieter voice. You don’t say anything, just go red in embarrassment and stuff your face into your knees, which were instinctively at your chest. He holds his pointer finger up to Alphys, to signify that he needed a moment. He makes his way near you, and you're watching him closely. He holds his hand out, and you can see the sympathy and trust in his eyes. “no one’s gonna hurt ya, hun. i’ll make sure of that.” he whispers. And for once in your life, you felt a little more safe to be around someone. Not Alphys, obviously.  
But, the way Sans was so understanding of what you were feeling and how you were reacting...  
You take his hand, and he helps you stand up to your feet. “i’ll stay by ya if you’d like that.” he whispers to you as you both made your way toward the steps. You nod, the blush still stuck on your face like a sticker.  
You stay behind Sans as you both get to the bottom. Alphys looks over, and you grip his shirt from the back, making sure that you were still safe. “O-Oh my! A-Another human? Sans, w-when did this-”

“just yesterday. i meant to contact ya about it, but i was pretty worn out last night and totally forgot,” he says. Alphys looks to you, and you keep yourself hidden behind Sans. “she’s uh, not exactly a social butterfly, per say.” Sans says. And you knew it was true.  
“Ah... I see. You um... don’t think this will-”

“trust me, that’s a firm no.” Sans stops Alphys from finishing her sentence, which prompts her to nod and sigh. You can hear her plop down on the couch, where you had previously been sleeping. “Well, a-as long as she brings no harm to the underground, or at l-least what’s l-left of it, then I don’t mind.” You feel your eyes trail over to the box that she had set on the side table, right next to your mug and scarf.  
Something about it was giving you the weird feeling. Sure, Alphys made you uncomfortable because of her being in your dream. But that box had like an... aura. One that wasn’t exactly pleasant. It was... eerie. “so, what was it you wanted to tell me about? the box?” he asks and picks it up. You kind of wanted to back away from it too, but backing away from a box...?  
They’d think I’ve lost my marbles.  
“Yes, a-actually that’s exactly what I w-wanted to talk a-about,” she says. “It just... showed up yesterday. It was at my front step. When I asked around about someone dropping something off, everyone had no clue what I was talking about.”  
You and Sans stare at the boxes wooden edges and random steel buttons.  
You notice a small carving on the side... The Doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill! Kudos if you like it and want more! Comment as well!  
> I also forgot you can bookmark, so feel free to do that too if you want!  
> And remember, Papyrus is a skeleton with VERY high standards!  
> Thx guys!


	5. Trust Must Go Both Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Sans chat a bit more.
> 
> I know this one is a little bit of a filler, so bear with me!   
> I've been working ahead a little, so hopefully, I'll get a good distance farther so I can update more frequently.  
> Again, thank you for the bookmarks and kudos! :D

You can feel the fear crawling up your back. Your dream had meant something. It all had a meaning. But, you couldn’t bring yourself to tell them about it. “Usually, I-I wouldn’t get so nervous about s-something so small, but it c-concerns me because of what it says on the c-corner.” He scans the box, and you watch his expressions instead of the box. The way he looked at it with such analytical intentions intrigued you a little. He must be some sort of scientist himself. Or maybe not...   
Now you’re making wild assumptions. That’s a dangerous thing to do.  
“the doctor? is it referring to you?” he asks her, looking up at her with a confused look. You keep a firm grip on the end of his shirt. “i-i’m not sure. no one has e-ever just c-called me ‘the doctor’.” she says, twiddling her fingers and claws. 

Suddenly, he looks to you, and you play with the rim of his shirt. “you okay back there?” he asks, and you nod in response. For some reason, you want to hug his arm close and rest your head up against it. He made you feel safe, so it made sense. You look over at the end table again. you see your empty mug. You feel like a slob, realizing you never brought it into the kitchen. I’m a terrible house guest.  
You let go of his shirt as they both inspect the cube. You grab your empty mug and sneak into the kitchen. For a moment, you feel like you can breathe properly. Your heart rate has settled, and you look around at the kitchen. It wasn’t anything huge, nor fancy. It looked like your everyday kitchen. You walk over to the sink and see some dishes already lying in there. You get a sudden urge to just... clean them. Cleaning... you had done it a lot on the surface with that unpleasant man.   
Though, it would relax you when you had cleaning to focus on instead of your bigger problems. It was a... less dangerous way to calm yourself than almost burning the place down.  
You get to work on the dishes, including your mug from last... ‘night’?   
You scrub at some of the dishes, getting every inch of filth off of them, then place them to the side to dry. You repeated this for about 10 minutes until Sans finally walks in. “what are you doing in... here.....?” You freeze and realize he probably didn’t appreciate you touching his stuff without permission. “I’m sorry! I just came in here to put my mug in the sink and I saw the dishes and I just-”  
“whoa whoa whoa... slow down...” he reassures you so you won’t go over the top with rambling and apologies. “first of all, ya ain’t gotta do dishes. you are a guest at my home.” he says. “second of all, why are you apologizing for cleaning up a bit?” he seemed baffled and at the same time, amused by your sudden outburst. You blush and rub your left arm sheepishly. “S-Sorry...” you bite your lip. “It’s just... I'm used to people getting upset with me when I do stupid stuff like this,” you admit, looking down at the floor. It was like a child that just got caught doing something wrong and dangerous.   
“what? people get mad at you for doing’ their dishes?” he looked concerned now, and it slightly surprised you how confused he was at your words.   
Monsters and humans really are different.  
“Y-Yeah... sometimes.” your voice kept getting quieter and quieter every sentence you made. “well, i’m not upset. like, at all.” he says and ruffles your hair a bit, perking you up slightly. This prompts him to chuckle slightly. “ya know, you’re sort of like... a bunny.” he says, and turns to set that box down on the dinner table.   
“I-I am? How so?” I asked. He then walks over to the fridge and his face made a strange squinting gesture as if he were searching for something specific. “well, for starters, you aren’t one to trust someone so easily. which is a good thing, by the way.” he says, and you return to the dishes. “Go on...” you say softly.   
“also, you get startled easily.” You hear the fridge shut as you hand dry what was left of the dishes. “you’re small.” he blurts out, making you sigh. “ah, well, that came out wrong.” you turn around to look at him, and he’s holding another container of ketchup. You mentally gag. 

“Is that all?” you asked, and start handing Sans some plates. He begins to put them away. “well, i did just meet ya yesterday.” he shrugs and sets the ketchup down to grab more plates. “Fair enough,” you say softly. You hand him some cups, including both of your mugs. “oh, and your very quiet.” he adds in, giving you a small chuckle. “That’s a given though,” I add, then he laughs a little.  
“i suppose so,” he says, and you hand him the last set of bowls to put away. You dry your own hands off as Sans drinks more from the container. “How do you stand drinking that like that?” I asked, walking towards him. He shrugs and says, “don’t know. i just know that i’ve been able to since i was a baby bone.” he leans up against the counter. “Huh.” is all you can respond to that. It was odd how well the two of you had been getting along after only 24 hours or less. “So, where did Alphys go?” You asked, wondering whether it was okay to be so out in the open or not. You know, deep down, that there’s no way in hell that the dream meant that she was a bad person.  
But, being a victim of anxiety and paranoia did that to you. It made you second guess what people say, do, or think. It made you second guess what you yourself thought, said, or did.

“eh, she left. she let me keep whatever the hell that thing is though.” he gestures to the box sitting by it’s lonesome on the table. You look at it and walk over to it. “Can I... touch it?” you asked. He nods at you, “knock ya’self out... metaphorically.” he says.   
You pick it up, inspecting the cold buttons on the top. You trace your thumb over each button. “It looks like a number pad, minus the numbers of course.” you mumbled, just loud enough for Sans to hear. “yeah, that’s what i said too. but what number combination would it take?” he says. You think back on your dream, wondering if you’d stumbled upon any set of numbers or patterns, but found nothing in your mind. “Guessing it would be near to impossible,” you say with a small sigh.   
“ya seem pretty interested in the thing. you know anything about it?” he asks. You weren’t sure if this had turned into an interrogation or kept at a friendly chat.  
“No. I’ve never seen anything like this before... but...” you slide your thumb over the carving in the corner. “...but?” he questions, walking up there next to you.  
You look over to him and think about your options here.  
I could tell him about my stupid dream that probably doesn’t mean crap or I could keep it to myself.  
I’m not sure if I can trust him with everything just yet, but he’s been nothing but kind to me. When I was acting like a wuss, he walked me through it. Doesn’t he deserve some respect? But, what if it’s all just a lie? I’ve dealt with men who would say anything just to get me in bed with them. Of course, that’s not what Sans is trying to do... to your knowledge and understanding.  
“hun? ya still breathing over there?” he asks concerned, but you knew he just meant whether I was gonna respond or not.

“S-Sorry, just... can I ask you something?” you look to him, probably with expectancy. “yeah, what is it?” he nods. You take a quick, deep breath.  
Don’t fuck this up, Nicole.  
“Why did you actually let me stay the night here?” the question appeared to surprise him a little, as his eyes widen and his mouth gets small er for a second. He sighs, then sits down at the table. “damn. didn’t realize you could see through me so well like that.” he mumbles, and leans his skull into his phalange. “while i do still think it was the right and kind thing to do, my main reason was...” he took a deep breath. “because i wanted to see if you were just a really really really good actress.”  
You feel your eyebrow quirk up instinctively. “W-What?” What does that mean?   
He chuckles slightly at your confused expression. He seemed almost amused at it. “i mean, like i said, we did just go through a rampaging murderer in the underground. if you tried anything yesterday, last night, or today with me, i could then go from there.” He leaned back in his seat, waiting for your response to the truth.  
You think over his words.  
I knew he still had his guard up. But, who can blame the guy? I’m sure what he and the underground had gone through had traumatized everyone. So, I come crashing down here, of course, they’re gonna be suspicious of me.  
You aren’t offended by the truth, and you give him a soft smile. “Thank you...” He seems to have not suspected that kind of response. “for... for what?” You sit down in the opposite seat, the box now in between the both of you. “For telling me the truth, obviously.” You shrug, and pick the box back up, staring at the new, shiny metal-plated buttons.   
“no problem... i suppose.” he seemed sheepish for some reason. You bite your lip and suck up any doubt you had before.   
Clearly, he trusted me enough now to tell me his true intentions. So, I should return the favor, right?  
You look back up at the sleepy skeleton.   
Yes. I should.  
I will.

“Last night, I had quite the dream.” You blurt out, finalizing your decision for good. He looks up at you, as you realize the two of you must have gone silent for a bit.  
“oh? what about?” he asks as if it were any small talk conversation. “About the Doctor,” you state simply, and you watch as he perks up with interest in your words.   
“you mean you know who it is?” he was serious now. But, you shook your head. “Not exactly. It’s all a little fuzzy really.” I bite my lip, wondering whether he would get mad at you for keeping this from him.

“tell me everything. if... you’re comfortable with that, of course.” he immediately steps down a peg, as if he’d just offended you. “Okay, well, I remember you were there. The doctor was there, along with Alphys,” you explain.  
“None of you ever actually called him by an actual name, so all I got was the doctor. But, I was stuck in this... contraption? I wouldn’t know what exactly to call it.” You say. He was listening very carefully to you as if he were a supercomputer taking in your every word and analyzing it in his mind. You could just hear the analytical side of him going;  
Fascinating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... something-something Kudos. Something about bookmarks and comments...  
> And remember... Never eat soggy waffles!  
> Thx again guys! :P


	6. Not Impossible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Reader go for some Nice Cream in Waterfall.
> 
> Hello again! Just wanted to say Thank you again for the supportive comments and the kudos AND the bookmarks!!   
> I stayed up late last night working on future chapters and ideas for the story so hopefully, you continue to enjoy the story!

Ever since you’d been honest with Sans about your dream, he’s been pretty focused on whatever that box was. All day, Sans was either talking to you or trying to get the code number combination correct.  
You had made sure he was eating and such of course since he did the same for you yesterday. Mostly, you spent the day thinking over your situation.   
I know I’ll have to leave eventually. I’m almost 100% sure that Sans doesn’t want me lazing around in his home for too long. You were currently scrubbing the kitchen down where it needed the most attention. It helped you think.  
But, where do I go next? Is the underground literally just snow? You prayed that it wasn’t. You scrubbed in silence as Sans spoke over the phone with, who you assumed was, Alphys.  
One thing you knew you missed was music. Something to keep your hands focused on what they were doing and your brain focused on the lyrics and the rhythm.  
“alright, alphys said she appreciates the help,” Sans speaks, suddenly right beside you. It had startled you, and you knew he could most definitely tell it had.  
“sorry. but, it just proves my point.” he shrugs. “W-What point?” You asked confused.   
He looks over the counter and chuckles, shaking his head. “are you cleaning the counters?” he asked, though he obviously knew the answer.   
“Yes.” You state bluntly and continue scrubbing.  
I need to come up with some sort of plan of where I’m going and when. I can’t just stay here and crash at this mans home. “So, I’ve been wondering.” You don’t look away from what you were doing. “If one were to... say, leave the underground. How would they go about that?” you bite your lip and stop scrubbing seeing as the counters looked squeaky clean. You put the sponge down in the sink for the time being, and look over at him.   
“well, ya see. for one to do something like that, they’d have to... assuming this one is human...” he looked over at you, and you see the gears in his mind working, analyzing, deciding... Metaphorically of course. But, you could tell that he was thinking about something. “...you’d have to cross the rest of the underground to make it to the exit.” he sits down in the nearby dining chair. “Oh, is it... far? I’d say I’m asking for a friend, but we both know very well why I’m asking.” you say to him, your tone soft. “yeah, well the distance depends on you feel about walking i guess.” you turn around, seeing him shrug. “it also depends on what kind of person ya are. how far are ya willing to go to get back?” This question... bugged you. It made you feel like there was this giant weight on your shoulders that couldn’t be moved until you decided.   
How far am I willing to go?

“Well, I don’t know... depends.” you say, turning back around to rinse the sponge out. “on what?” So many questions that would soon build upon your mind. “It depends... on whether or not it’s truly worth it. To put it simply.” You say. The water felt nice against your palms, and you ring the sponge out as much as possible before setting it back where it was.   
“i think that’s a good answer,” he says suddenly. A small smile reaches your face. “You think so?” It was a genuine question you’d just asked because you were curious. You’d always found that answer too open and unanswered in itself.  
But, Sans seemed to understand why that was your answer, not the answer on its own.  
“yeah. i do. in fact, i probably relate to that answer if anything.” he shrugs, and you take a seat next to him.   
You nod, knowing if you had pressed further, to would have led to something you weren’t prepared for.

“so, when do you plan on making your way up there?” he asks, not only interrupting the silence but also changing the topic. “Uhm, I’m not sure just yet.” you mumbled, thinking things over in your brain. “well, you’re welcome to stay another night if ya need to.” he winks at you.  
You take a deep breath. “I’ll plan it all out today. I don’t wanna bother you any more than I already have so-”  
“bother me? you ain’t bothering me hun.” he insisted. “tell ya what...” he stands up and looks to you with calm eyes. “how’s about, ya make your way there tomorrow morning, and today we’ll hang out or somethin’.” he says, and you stand up too, just to be at the same level with him. Or, at least try considering you were a bit smaller. But not by much.  
“A-Are you sure? I mean, I’ve been touching your stuff, and I forgot to clean up after myself this morning... I’ve been nothing but troublesome!” You persisted, though you knew you weren’t exactly thinking straight. It weirded you out how cool he was with everything you’d felt you had done wrong. Shouldn’t he hate me?  
“why do you always think you’re the worst person to be alive just for doing little stuff that isn’t even bad? you’ve been nothing but considerate and helpful,” he says, and you don’t keep arguing.   
“so, how’s about i treat ya some nice cream or somethin’?”  
You sighed and gave him another small smile.   
“Alright. Fine...”

Soon enough, you had found yourself walking toward the opposite direction you came from. “So, If you can teleport, why not just use it to take us there?” You were awfully curious about his magic. You’d found it to be a fascinating concept. But, you found that any magic was fascinating to you. You remember being just a kid, pretending you could do such things like go invisible, throw fireballs, or... well, teleport.

Though, when you got older and looked into it a bit more, you found that everything wasn’t as easy when it came to such powers. Of course, it saddened you to think that there were no more known human mages left in the world.   
You found it wasteful to use the last of it up on sealing such innocent beings away.  
“well, i can’t just teleport all willy nilly like. it takes up energy,” he says, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.   
“and besides, i’m sure a walk would be more calming than teleportation which might not bode well for ya human stomach,” he says.   
Humans must not be able to handle magic as well as they used to so many years ago. But, that’s simply adaption. The less magic one would use, the more likely they’re body would decrease in efficiency. No magic, no fight put up to withhold it. Makes perfect sense.  
“Yeah, that makes sense.” you repeat to Sans to let him know you understood. “So, I’m guessing everyone’s magic isn’t just... teleporting. Or at least I would hope so.” you wanted to practically interview him on the subject for hours. You hadn’t been thinking about it too much recently, but now that you’d brought the topic up, you had to know more!

He chuckles, and continues, “yeah, the teleporting thing is just me. most monsters carry magic. usually, the type of magic depends on two main variables; the kind of type of personality you have and the type of being you are.” you listened intently, almost wishing you’d brought some sort of notebook to take down notes.  
“for example; i’m a skeleton. so, i have bone attacks. but, alphys wouldn’t have bone attacks because she’s more of a lizard type.”   
Up ahead you see a mixture of blues and purples.   
“What about humans?” you asked. “I mean...” you twiddle with your hands again, overthinking your words. “I know humans can’t really wield it anymore, but theoretically...?” I look over to him, the crunching beneath your feet getting quieter and quieter until you can feel real ground again. “well, it’s not impossible for a human to wield magic, it’s just rare and unlikely.” he starts out. “but, to answer your question, since humans usually only come as the same shape of species, it mostly comes from your personality.” he’s looking over at you as well.

“not only that, it also comes from your soul.” You stop in your tracks. You’d heard very little about Souls on the surface since humans were incapable of seeing such things. Most believed it was just some lore that children would tell each other to wow others.  
Sans stops only a couple inches ahead. You were going to delve deeper into souls and such.  
But you had other unanswered questions you needed to get to. 

“So, wait, what happened to all the snow?” You look around and notice it all behind you. The crazy winds had calmed to almost a complete stop, and you could hear the soft sounds of splashing water in the distance. “oh, were pretty much in waterfall now.” he says, “most of the underground is put into 4 sections.” he motions you to keep walking, and you do. “there’s the ruins, snowdin, waterfall, and hotlands.” he says.   
So the place with the destroyed home and purple walls was the Ruins? That also makes sense.  
“The names don’t seem that creative, as far as I can tell.” you mumbled. “yeah, the old king wasn’t very good at coming up with names,” he says, which brings me more questions.  
You don’t ask these questions of course. You’d hate to upset Sans after he’s offered to get you some nice cream (whatever that was) and to stay at his place for the night.

The old king of the underground... he must have been a true leader.   
“quinn should be around here somewhere.” you hear sans mumble, looking around and squinting his eyes like you’d seen previously in the kitchen. “Who’s Quinn?” you asked him, and he looks back over to you. “oh, quinn sells these delicious treats called nice cream.” he states. “it’s ice cream, but with a nice compliment on the stick,” he says, using some hand gestures to explain. 

“Sounds pleasant,” you say with a soft smile. It goes silent, giving you the chance to get a real look at your surroundings. We were walking on a strange purple trail that went into several different paths every now and then. There were lots of waterfalls, ponds, and rivers alongside them. The water sounded so peaceful, you could fall asleep listening to its soothing splashes.  
Every now and then, you spot a strange flower, that, oddly enough, looked familiar to you.  
And it was on the tip of your tongue too...  
The flower was a resilient blue that glowed so beautifully and lit up the water. You swear you could hear something mumbling from most of them.  
“he should be just ahead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always appreciate kudos, comments, and bookmarks!   
> So go ahead and click to do any of those if you like this and want more!  
> And remember, your birthday is the same day that you were born... crazy right?! ;P  
> Thx as always guys!


	7. Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader meets Quinn!
> 
> Hi guys! Early update because I'm not going to be able to access the internet for a little while today. However, I will work on future chapters while I'm gone! Also, I know that so far this has been going really slow, but I promise it's getting there!  
> Also, I hope you have or have had a nice day!

You both approach a strange, blue rabbit man reading some sort of book or another. The title had read; “The Trouble with Lemons.”  
You recall hearing about the book from somewhere, but you can’t recall where. Nor do you have time to think about it before Sans starts up the conversation with Quinn. “hey quinn, nice to see ya still out here.” sans says. You felt a lot more comfortable knowing that this new person hadn’t been in one of your weird dreams. Though, that didn’t mean you were going to let your guard entirely down around him.  
“Huh? Oh, hey Sans! How do ya do?” he seemed pretty upbeat and chirpy. “i’m doin’ pretty well. just takin’ this young lady right ‘ere for some nice cream.” he motions to you, and for a quick second, you feel put on the spot.  
Don’t panic. Just... smile and wave! Yeah, that’ll do it!

You give him a small smile that anyone would when someone looks over to you randomly in a public place. You wave shyly and keep close to Sans. Though, not too close.  
He waves back with an equally awkward smile. “Well, wouldn’t want to keep a customer waiting,” he says and sets his book down in a certain way so that he wouldn’t lose his spot. “Two Nice Creams coming up!” he says and opens a hatch in his stand. Quinn digs into the hole and pulls out two unopened bars of ice cream. You thank him quietly as he hands it to you and Sans. He nods in return. “thanks quinn, i’ll be seein’ ya.” he says, and Sans begins to walk away.  
“Until then!” Quinn says, and something sparks in you.  
That’s where I’d seen the book from!   
You remember that growing up you’d always had a friend in the beautiful lady in green at your old school library. She always wore snazzy outfits that put you in awe.  
When you left, that’s what she’d say.

Until then...!  
She’d introduced the book to you as a nice comforting book to read to get your imagination going. “Th-That book you’re reading.” you blurt out, feeling the odd need to say something. Quinn looks over at you, unsure of what you were going to say or do. “It’s a good one. I’ve r-read it all the way through.”   
Did I just use... a conversation starter?  
“Oh, really?” he asks, he seemed to brighten up a bit around you at those words. “So have I, but, it’s pretty interesting so when I get bored I read it over in my spare time...” You give him a real smile instead of you're ‘don’t talk to me please’ one earlier.  
“M-My name’s Nicole, hopefully, I’ll see you around as well?” I say, thinking that that might have been too pushy or assuming. He grins back and gives a single nod. “I hope so miss Nicole! Have a great day.” He says, and you wave to him as you catch up with Sans. You unwrap your nice cream and try it.  
“you seemed to make quick friends with quinn. i think that’s even more proof you’re a bunny.” sans chuckles. You feel your face flush, “H-Hey!” you say. “I just said that I liked the book he was reading. Beside’s I’m sure it would take more than one common interest to gain anyone’s trust... in general really.” You say, putting logic into the matter.  
He ends his chuckling fit, and looks to you, eating his nice cream. “Fair enough hun.”   
The two of you walk like that for a little while, and you pass by more of the flowers.  
“Hey Sans?” you say suddenly. “What are those flowers called?” you point to one of the small patches of them nearby.  
“ah, those are echo flowers. they’re pretty aren’t they?” he says, leading you to nod in agreement. “Why do they glow like that?” you asked, looking over at him instead of the flowers.   
He stuffs his free hand in his pocket. “Because they have magic in ‘em,” he says. “Whatever you whisper to the flower, it will repeat you until someone whispers something new to it. Hence the name... correct?” he seemed a little surprised at your knowledge.  
“yeah... how did you know that?” you smile softly at him.

“i use to do a lot of reading growing up. Didn’t think they were real...” you explained to him.   
“ah... i see,” he says, eating some more of the nice cream afterward.  
“so... you said that you used to do a lot of reading. you don’t read much anymore?” he asks. You bite your lip. “Well, life often gets in the way of leisurely things like that on the surface.” you start to explain things in more detail. “See, on the surface, we have bills to pay, money to earn constantly... not much time to do anything fun,” you say, and you could tell you were probably being brutally honest with him.  
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, we do get breaks. It’s just... a little more complicated with my life I suppose,” you say.  
Okay, you’re being too honest about yourself now.  
“yeah, i get what ya mean. different situations for everyone,” he says, and you’re thankful he doesn’t press on.   
For a while, the both of you talk about various things from the type of books you’d read to your favorite ice cream flavor. You walked through waterfall from the way you’d come, hearing all the calming sounds of the place. From the same splashing waters to the sounds of whispers resonating from some of the echo flowers. For once in a long time, you’d felt at peace.  
You both stop at the edge between snowdin and waterfall. “let’s chill here at my old post, ‘kay?” sans says, going behind a small stand.   
You follow but lean on the top part of the front instead.  
You then proceed to lick up the rest of the ice cream remaining on the stick. You look at it and read it aloud.  
“You look really good today.” You look up at him and he looks down at his popsicle stick.  
“That color is perfect on you!” he read, making you giggle slightly. “hehe, the sticks don’t lie,” he says and sets his own down on the top.  
You do the same and look out at your surroundings. You sigh in content as you watched everything. “You know...” you start, and sans leans over the counter a bit to hear you. “I never thought I’d be walking around under a mountain eating ice cream with a skeleton.” you say, making him laugh. “ya, i can understand that,” he says.   
You turn around to face him. “But, I’ve enjoyed it thus far.” You say, your voice going a bit softer in tone. He smirks, “well, i’m glad.”  
I wonder what it’s like to eat for him.  
He doesn’t have a stomach to digest anything, so... does he eat at all?  
Well, duh, of course, he does. He just ate a bar of nice cream!   
So, where does it all go? How does he get any energy or nutrients?  
Does he need nutrients? I’m sure he does... every living thing needs it to survive. Plants get it from the sun and water, animals and humans get it by eating various things and digesting it, and monsters...  
“How do you get nutrients if you don’t have a stomach?” you blurt aloud, immediately regretting it. “I MEAN! Uh...” You stand straight, thinking of some way to fix your mistake. He just chuckles and tells you to calm down. “it’s fine, it’s a perfectly normal question.” he says reassuringly. “basically, it’s the magic. it takes what it needs from the food and the rest just dissipates. though, you wouldn’t be able to see it.” he tries to explain this to you, but your question was a bit more specific and complicated to answer.  
“it just... does, i suppose.” he shrugs.   
Magic... of course. What else?   
But, that reminds you of your conversation from earlier. Sans had brought up the topic of Souls.  
Without thinking, you say, “So, earlier you mentioned that a humans magic would depend on their personality and their soul?” He nods. “Could you... tell me more about that?” you asked shyly, knowing it was an odd question. You could tell by the way he looked at you afterward. He chuckles, “well, w-what do ya wanna know?”   
Your mind scans over your previous conversation. “Well, what exactly is a Soul?” you say, giving a decent start to this conversation. “well, your soul is the very culmination of your being. it makes up what and who you are as a whole.” he explains to you, “your soul is like your life. you only have one, and once it shatters it’s gone forever. for the majority of us at least.” 

What does that mean?

“So, how does one's soul connected to their magic?” you felt like the biggest nerd in the world right now. And, you probably were. “well, there’s still a lot that people, in general, don’t know about souls. so, no one knows the ins and outs of why they do what they do.... they just... do.” he says, making you giggle a little at his wording. “Alright... well, I know there’s something called Soul Traits. What are those?”   
“ah, every soul has a certain trait that they mostly pertain to. so far, there’s only been seven discovered.” he seemed pretty invested in the conversation himself. “there’s kindness, justice, bravery, perseverance, determination, patience, and integrity.”  
Kindness  
Justice  
Bravery  
Perseverance  
Determination   
Integrity.  
Got it.  
“Wait, what’s the difference between perseverance and determination?” you asked, conflicted by the two similar traits.  
“well, by the dictionary, nothing much. but, scientifically and genetically, there are differences. too much to get into just yet considering we haven’t even finished the basics yet.” he talked like you were some sort of new intern as a scientist.  
It made you smile as you nod.   
Sans goes to speak again, but a strange ringing noise could be heard from his right pocket. He holds up one finger and pulls his phone out to answer.   
“hello?”  
...  
“what do you mean?”  
....  
“well yeah but-”  
.....  
“that fast?”  
....  
“now?”  
...  
“alright... fine, see ya soon.”

He hangs up the phone and you look over at him, confused beyond comprehension. “What was that all about?” you asked curiously. He sighs and looks back at you.   
“alphys thinks she has an idea for figuring out more about that box from earlier.” he explains, “she needs us to bring the box and head to her lab tonight.”  
You bite your lip, “Us?” He simply nods and holds out his hand.  
“us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asriel doesn't like that I won't let him out until I find a way to close off the space beneath my bed.
> 
> (p.s. Asriel is what I named my rabbit ;P)
> 
> Might I add, I have not actually read the book "The Trouble with Lemons." I just picked a book that thought would be fit according to the description.
> 
> Again, Thank you for the kudos and such! I really appreciate them!  
> And remember... Don't forget!


	8. The Dream Catcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader encounters The Dream Catcher.
> 
> I'm really bad at writing the summary's so I don't bother much xD  
> I felt like I sort of rushed my editing on chapter 7 because I was pretty busy today... or yesterday whatever.  
> So, I'm putting more time into this one! If you find any mistakes or something in the last chapter, feel free to inform me so I can take note of what I need to fix! Just... please don't pick out the small and petty things... I have Grammarly for that!
> 
> ...Not sponsored

Hotlands was as heated as it sounded. Literally. You hadn’t counted on there being lava every which way. The whole time you two walked toward a large building, you kept as close as humanly possible to Sans. “were here. alphys said she just unlocked the door about two minutes before we got here so we should be viable to go inside.” he says. Sans walks up to a strange scanner on the front of the building. He puts his hand against it, and the door opens.   
“Wait, I thought Alphys had to-”  
“there needs to be one on each side. she did this in case of another event of... well, ya know,” he says, and we both walk in.   
The lights were out inside, and it caused you to stay close to Sans. “why the heck does she leave these lights off when people come over?” sans mumbled. You don’t acknowledge that you’d heard him.   
“alphys?” he called out, wondering if she’d be out in the dark. You can see outlines of certain things like a tv screen, a desk, and a strange bag on the floor. Sans guided the both of you through the darkness. Even though you were being as careful as possible, you still managed to trip over something. You wince, and sans helps you up. “you alright?” he asks, almost in a whispering voice. “Y-Yeah...”  
Eventually, Sans is able to make it to a strange self-opening door. It’s only until it opens and you see the inside that you realize it’s an elevator.  
“she’s probably downstairs,” he says, and lets you go first into the elevator. Sans goes to get on too, but we both stop at a strange, sudden movement in the elevator. You both go quiet and stay completely still.   
The elevator must not be well taken care of.   
Or maybe just rarely used.  
Or both.

You look up at Sans, seeking for answers on what to do. “come ‘ere. i’ll just call alphys.” he says.  
You nod and take a step forward... You jump as the elevator goes down on its own once more, but by a bit more than before. You were starting to panic. Your heart rate had increased, and you were ready to just jump out. But you knew if you did that, you would probably but cut in half between the elevator going down and the floor. The jump was too far for you to make it all the way through.  
Shit.  
It moves down a bit more without you moving. You hold onto the bars on the side. “shit. alright, one second.” he says and poofs away a second, then lands behind me. This causes the elevator to slide down without any stop. Though, you barely have a moment to feel scared since he immediately teleports back to the top.   
You don’t let go of him, feeling like if you did you’d be brought downward and killed.  
Deep breaths... Everything’s okay.....

“you alright there hun?” he asks, concerned. you nod, still not letting go. You’re pretty shaken up. “lemme text alphys.” again, you nod. Unsure of what else to say. He pulls out his phone, typing for a minute or two, then puts it away. “alphys says there’s a set of stairs over there.” he points to a few feet away near a different door.   
So, you both start walking down the concrete steps, now fully aware of your surroundings. You watch as the walls become more faded into a strange, yet familiar color. It strikes you as unwelcoming and dangerous.  
But, you had no choice but to follow wherever the staircase led.  
When you reached the bottom, the first thing you notice is a door. One that, like the one from the ruins, had been jammed open. Like it was rusted in its spot. It strikes you as odd, considering it never rained anywhere in the underground... to your knowledge.  
“she should be this way.” sans says, and you follow close behind. You go down a peculiar hallway, after going through the jammed door, one with screens on the walls. some of them seemed broken or at least cracked, while others glitch with words jumbled into messes of technology.  
What happened down here?  
Next, we enter a room with an odd machine inside. It was singled out in the room, with a control pad in the front, slightly backed away from the contraption. Alphys was messing with the machine. You felt your stomach twist around.  
You’d remember this place from miles away.  
You remember the doctor, Sans, and Alphys watching as they’d put you in such an uncertain position.You back up instinctively, not even sure if it would be safe to hide behind Sans at that point. He had promised that nothing would hurt you as long as he was around, but your mind kept seeing what you’d dreamt of.   
“we’re here alphys. now, what is it you had planned?” Sans asks her.   
I shouldn’t be scared. It had barely even hurt.  
“A-Ah! Thank goodness y-you’re both okay! I a-apologize for the elevator. I heard it d-drop.”  
Then again, it wasn’t the pain you were afraid of.  
“yeah, that thing is definitely not safe.”  
It’s the vulnerability.   
“You two got here f-faster than expect-ted!”  
I saw my soul being let out for the world to see like a display in a shop.  
I was vulnerable, and I felt that the doctor knew that.  
“we were already in waterfall.”  
Though, you’re probably just being as paranoid as always.  
But could you really believe that deep down?  
“Ah, I s-see. Well, I’ve fixed u-up one of our old m-machines from long ago.”  
I’m panicking. I need to calm down.  
The doctor isn’t even here! This is an entirely different situation!  
“i thought it looked familiar.”  
Sans turns to you, and you give him a fake smile.   
You don’t want your soul to be exposed to anyone!  
I know very well that your soul can contain so imperative information about oneself.   
And sure, maybe if it were just me, it’d be fine.  
But this was two people I’d no real clue about.  
Practically strangers!

Maybe you’re being too harsh.  
Maybe everything will be fine.  
Maybe a unicorn will crash through the ceiling and start speaking Finnish!  
Okay, now you’re being sarcastic and ridiculous.   
“Y-Yes, well, The D-Dream Catcher was one that was just a test, but I s-suppose it’s useful now.”  
Alphys walked over to the control panel, and you see your soul from before.  
Not literally, but you envisioned it. Right there.  
You envisioned the two of them looking and seeing how... ugly it was.

It had to be ugly. It had to be something you wanted no one to see.  
“W-What does that do?” you asked the both of them, seeing as they’d both seen it before.  
“Ah, this will look into your S-Soul’s memories and find the one from y-your dream.”  
she says, “B-But don’t worry! Any others w-will n-n-not be exposed to us! W-We are forbidden from seeing anyone else’s memories like that u-unless given permission.”

That made you feel better, and you relax a little. See, you’re just being a baby.  
A paranoid, overdramatic baby. 

“Oh...” you respond. Sans guides you toward it, and you sit in that seat, still with some hesitation.  
“alright, this shouldn’t take too long. don’t worry if ya feel a little weird, that’s normal. and it won’t affect you badly.” Sans reassures. You nod and he walks near Alphys.   
You leaned your head back and shut your eyes, praying that nothing would happen.   
You just want this to end.  
Everything is okay.  
Everything is okay.  
Everything is okay...  
Everything is oka-

The feeling of something being left from your body makes you feel exactly as you’d felt in the dream.

Vulnerable.

You feel a tingling feeling throughout your body. They’d started up the machine, and had apparently put your soul in that container. You take deep breaths, feeling as uneasy as ever.  
You shut your eyes again, and you sat there just listening to the whirring of machinery and gears.  
You had to have sat there for about 5 minutes before everything stops. You open your eyes and see a satisfied Alphys. She had returned your soul, and you felt whole again. As if you’d just been washed over with a magical feeling.

“Th-there! I have exactly what she had told you a-about!” alphys messes with the machine a moment, as Sans assists you in standing up. You did feel a little dizzy from regaining your soul, so you were thankful for the help.  
“H-Here is the tape,” she says, holding up a VHS tape of what you assumed, was your dream.  
You were pretty amazed by the kind of technology the underground had.   
“alright, ready to watch it?” he asked the both of us. Alphys nods, obviously grateful that the machine had worked.  
You give a small nod, though you aren’t really sure you’d ever be ready to be put in that state of panic once more as you had in the dream.  
Alphys leads the two of you to another room, and you get the familiar sense that you had no choice but to watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos mean a lot to me, and they definitely tell me that you want more out of the book! So, don't be shy!  
> Also, if you want to have easy access to the story instead of looking the name up every time, consider using the bookmark function!  
> And remember, wait... I forgot what I was gonna put here...!  
> Oh well, Thx guys!


	9. Black and White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I give up on these summaries xD
> 
> I am so excited for when the book finally gets a bit smoother! Right now it feels a little rough around the edges, but that could just be me.  
> I'm caught up to Chapter Eighteen as of right now, though I feel bad that I haven't been able to write or update much this weekend.
> 
> But I'm sure this is nothing compared to how it may get here soon with very important tests coming up soon.

As you’d watched it, it felt slightly less real. Like, I was just watching something from a game. You wished that was all it was.  
You stare at the doctor mostly, inspecting every little detail you could, but the dream seemed fuzzy and blurry. You couldn’t understand why.   
When it was over, the two of them were left speechless. Probably because I failed to mention that the contraption they’d just used was the exact same one.  
Or maybe because they recognize whom the doctor really was.  
That seemed impossible, considering it was incredibly hard to see anything through a projection.  
I’d seem slightly better through my own dream. But, that was gone.  
You weren’t sure why this box meant so much. But, you wouldn’t ask anytime soon.  
“I-I couldn’t see m-much. Could y-you Sans?” Alphys asks, turning to him. He shakes his head.  
“It was so blurry that I couldn’t make out too much. like water was covering the entirety of the screen.”  
A light bulb had turned on in your head.   
Water... He was right. It was exactly like water was covering it.  
And it's supposed to be in the first-person point of view.

“They’re crying.” you blurt out. They both turn to you. “W-What?”   
You grab the remote from next to alphys and rewind a bit. “Sans it exactly right. There’s water covering the ‘top.’” you use air quotes. “It’s the first person, so whoever I was seeing in the first person had to be crying,” you explained everything without even stuttering.  
You were almost proud of yourself.  
“Y-Yeah... that makes sense!” she says. “so, if it has nothing to do with the actual projector, maybe if we can find a way to un-blur the vision, and we can get a better image.” Alphys stands up, almost excited. “I-I can see what I c-can do tonight!” she begins to walk off, and you look to Sans.  
“ugh, i’m beat. what about you?” he looks back. You just nod. You weren’t sure if you were necessarily tired. But, you did want to head back to his house to relax for a while.  
He stands up as well, then holds out a hand to help you up. “i’m just gonna teleport us back since we ain’t doing anything too energy consuming tonight.” he explains as you accept his hand.   
You teleport with him right back in Snowdin, just at his front door on the inside.   
He sighs and walks over to the fireplace. He uses some sort of match to start the fire. “figured i’d light it again since ya liked it so much last night.” he explains, and you nod. You feel your stomach rumble from the lack of food today.   
You felt embarrassed. You’d completely forgotten to eat due to all the chaos happening today. And that nice cream was only holding it off for an hour or two.   
Maybe even less.

“ya hungry?” he asks, and you look away and nod. You hated asking other people for food. It was like admitting you couldn’t feed yourself.   
It’s sad but true.  
“ya could’ve told me,” he says, walking into the kitchen. You follow him. “It slipped my mind.” you admit, and he gives you a strange look. “how do you forget to eat?” he asks, scanning the fridge, then gives up in there.   
Your eyes follow his movement. “I-I don’t know... I just do.” you shrugged. He doesn’t respond and rummages through different cabinets. “i wasn’t really well prepared. luckily, i still have one of these bad boys.” he pulls out a pack of what appeared to be ramen noodles.   
“will this do?” he asks, stepping down from a step stool.   
It made you realize how obscenely high up the cabinets actually were.   
Why does he have such tall cabinets for such a small guy?  
I mean, I’m small too. But, still...  
“Yeah, that’ll be fine.” you go to grab the pack, but he backs his hand away. “i’ll make it. you go chill for a bit.” he says. You go to argue that you can make your own food, but he puts one finger up to your lips.  
“i know you can make it for yourself, but i’m gonna make it for my guest.” he shoos you away, and you sheepishly walk back into the living room.  
You look around the room, unsure of what else to do. You walk over to the couch where your pillow and blanket still remained. You set the pillow aside and sit on the couch. You take the blanket and cover your legs up.   
You can hear the clattering of pans in the other room but keep to the couch as you’ll probably just get shooed away again.

You felt bored all of a sudden. And for a moment, you wanted to be back there with Alphys figuring out my dream. But, your mind immediately tells you that’s a terrible idea seeing as you almost had a panic attack not only with Alphys but with that lab.  
You sighed, looking around for something to do. You need to do something with your hands.  
...  
Cleaning.

But what is there to clean? Everything looked pretty good overall. You lie your head back as your stomach growls once more. You wished you had some sort of... notebook or something. Anything to keep yourself busy for a while.  
You can’t sleep since you’re hungry.

Tomorrow I have to leave this place too...  
I’m just glad it isn’t snowing everywhere all the time.   
You look over at the scarf and pick it up to inspect it further. You hadn’t really thought about what it looked like since when you first found it, you just needed something to keep warm.   
It reminds you of when Sans had found you losing hope in the abandoned inn.   
Pretty pathetic to be able to give up so easily...  
Then again i’ve always been like that.  
If I can’t do something on the first few tries, I believe that I’ll never be able to do it at all.  
You snuggle up on the couch, letting your thoughts take over.

Would I even be able to get out of here? I mean, Sans never specified how long it would take to reach the exit. Nor did he specify the catch.  
Of course, you were aware that it wasn’t just a long jog to freedom. There has to be something stopping them from leaving, or they would have left as soon as possible.  
Duh.  
It was making you all the more curious about the monsters.   
Which brings you to your conversation with Sans earlier in Waterfall.  
Not impossible... huh?  
Wow... I haven’t had this much free time in a long time.   
I bet I could start reading again while he’s in the kitchen.  
But there isn’t anything around here to read.  
What about a library? Wouldn’t they have one of those down here? 

Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of padded footsteps. You look around and see sans holding a bowl with steam elevating from it.   
It looks so good...  
He walks over and hands you the bowl. “Th-thanks...” you say, carefully setting it down in your lap securely.   
Sans sits beside you and lies back, closing his eyes.   
How is that even possible? Oh, who am I kidding? It’s magic. It has to be.  
You take a bite, blowing on it a little to cool it off. Chicken...  
You give a small smile as you keep eating. “so, i’m pretty tired. i think i’m gonna hit the hay.” he winks at me, and you nod. You tell him goodnight, and he does the same back.  
When he’s all the way upstairs in his room, you relax a little.  
You finish what’s left of your ramen, deciding that this time you would put the bowl in the sink.

You make your way back out and lay down on the couch, snuggled up with the blanket. You watched the fire go, trying to free your mind of any thoughts so you could just go to sleep.   
The faster I fall asleep, the sooner I’ll wake up... metaphorically of course.

You shut your eyes, and you stay like that for a while. And eventually, you’re asleep.

~

But before you know it your eyes are wide open. You look around, expecting that same dull room and ‘The Doctor’, but instead, you are met with what appeared to be two different rooms. Or... one room really.  
One side was platinum white, the other pitch black. You found it to be an odd design choice.  
“Hello.” you jump up and do a 180 to see who or what the voice had come from. On the white side stood a man. He was tall and definitely skeletal. But, it wasn’t Sans.  
He had on a rather bright outfit. “U-Uh... hi?” he had this nice smile, so he didn’t come off as a threat to you.  
“You are... Sans’ friend. Correct?” he spoke with this accent that, to be honest, you weren’t so sure what it was. “Well, I wouldn’t say friend... but I suppose I am,” you say, neither of you moving an inch. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I am the Great Papyrus! Thought... I am not so great anymore... but...” he trails off. “Oh... I’m Nicole.” you go to play with the hem of your shirt, and it makes you realize that you aren’t wearing what you had always been wearing. Instead, you were wearing a dress. It was almost as white as the side of the room you were on.

“W-Where am I?” you asked him. He takes a deep breath in. “That... is a little difficult to explain.” he says, “But I’ll attempt to explain Human,” he says with a nice wide smile toward you. He starts to walk around and makes it just before the white side.   
“This line between the white and the black are a perfect example!” he states, “The white side represents the living. Once you cross over there, you will be able to live and breath.” He motions over to the side he was on. “The black side is the side of the dead. Only the deceased can remain here... unless...” he trails off a moment.   
“...Unless?” of course what he was saying intrigued you. “Unless you have the right kind of magic to be able to cross between the two.”   
Now you were really listening.  
“So... why am I here?” you asked, “Am I... dead?” you asked. He immediately shakes his head. “Of course not! In fact, you’re on the white side, meaning you are intact living. But, only those with the power to do so can even be in this room!”  
You were understanding it now... to a certain degree.  
“But... I don’t have magic,” you state as a fact. He shakes his head again. “Of course you do human! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here right now!” He was so cheery, for a ghost. If that was even what he was. You shut your eyes, and rub them, wondering what the hell was happening. “That... That just can’t be!” You look around at the white side of the room. “But it is...!” he says softer this time around.   
“If you want to learn more I’m positive the library has some books on it! You may also want to check out the books at Alphys’ lab. I remember she had kept so many too!” he explains.

You don’t say anything and try and process it all. But before you can get your thoughts straight, he begins again. “You won’t have much time I’m afraid, but I do hope you are able to figure it out!” you look up at him... only for everything to disappear-

-and you wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KUDOS AND COMMENTS THANKS YOU GUYS YA YA!!  
> I'm kind of energized for some reason.  
> And remember, down here it's kill or be killed!  
> BLIP BLOP!


	10. Bookworm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midnight update! And very close to chapter nine as well... oh well!  
> I figured that I was pretty ahead so I'd at least put an even number in here. Also, I've been on a roll tonight with my energy being boosted up for some reason. ;P
> 
> (There are some very alarming sounds coming from my back porch plz help O_O)

You look around, and the room is normal now. Nothing but the couch, the fireplace, and the table near the door. For a moment, you wanted to look around for a clock of some sort... but you remembered that there were no clocks down here.  
It was unsettling. Especially after waking up from a... whatever that was... feeling disoriented.  
You thought about what Papyrus had said.  
Was it true? Were you able to cross between the living and the dead? It was an absurd idea, that was for sure. But, you couldn’t just go out on a whim from some ‘dream’ you just had. You check your clothes, and you weren’t in the dress anymore.  
You stand up, and pace for a moment going over your options.  
You sure as well had no idea what time it was, so if you left and it was early morning for him, he’d wonder why you were still there if you’d returned. If it was too early, he might wonder where you’re at.  
Or maybe he just won’t wake up for a while.  
You weren’t sure, but you knew this would wrack at your brain until you could prove such accusations.  
There was no way in hell you could fall back asleep now, and you wouldn’t be able to bare just sitting here thinking about it all night. You stop and look around. You grab your scarf, and throw it on real quick, then go for a coat. You saw Sans’ coat hanging up, but you hesitated to grab it.  
Should I just steal his jacket? If he wakes up, he’ll be suspicious of me.  
If he wakes up...

You have no time to lose before your brain spirals out of control. You grab the hoodie and the blanket. You look around one last time and quietly make your way outside.  
Luckily for you, there weren’t any intense winds, so it wasn’t as cold as before. Nor was it snowing at all.  
You stopped when you had a realization.  
Where is the library?  
Was it in Snowdin? It had to be. Right?  
You decided to check around in Snowdin, just to be sure.  
And if it wasn’t here, the farthest you’d go was Waterfall. You were afraid to fall into the lava in hotlands so you’d wait for that.  
You make your way the opposite direction of Waterfall. The first thing you see is Grillby’s. You think about stopping by after your library trip, and keep going.  
Luck must have been on your side that day because the library was right next door of Grillby’s.  
What a relief!

You didn’t see any open or closed sign on the door or in the windows, so you peek through them to see if there was none inside or any lights on. You didn’t see anyone in there at all, but when you went to go check the door, it was unlocked.  
Is everything before Grillby’s just abandoned?  
You look around, and when you don’t see anybody, you walk inside. You see only a few shelves, but they appeared to be crammed with books. There were even books lying in stacks around the shelves and tables!  
Where would I find what I’m looking for? You weren’t totally sure what you should look under, so you just started from the back, left corner. You were determined to find the books you need, so you were going to go through every shelf and stack you could find.  
You scan through a lot of books. Like... A LOT.  
You’d gone through almost the entire first shelf before finding a book simply titled; “Souls.”  
You pulled it out but decided against reading it just yet. You keep going, and with every shelf you checked, you’d find at least 2 or 3 books that would interest you in this particular situation.  
There was; “Human and Monster, Mages and Wizardry.” “Everything you Need to Know About these Magic Types.” “The Incomplete History of Monsters.” and much more.  
You felt like a giant book nerd again. After about an hour or so, you’d finally gotten through every book in the library.  
You were tired of looking over bookshelves, but you were pumped to read the books you found.  
You’d collected at least 7 or 8 books that you thought might be useful, but you knew it was too much to carry in one trip. And you definitely weren’t going to run halfway across the town just for a second trip.  
You go behind the librarian's desk and search the smaller shelves back there for something to carry them with. “Come on...” you rummage through empty jars and random junk that had been crammed back there... to no avail.  
You groan and stand back up. You stop for a moment and stare directly at your belongings.  
The blanket.

You immediately go back around and lay the blanket flat on the floor. You quickly stack your books in the center, then fold it up into something way easier to carry. You smile at your quick thinking. You then grab your blanket full of books and march out of the library. You stop for a moment in front of Grillby’s and you were tempted to go in.  
After all, this would be your last chance to talk to him before you continue toward waterfall and hotlands.  
You toughen up and secure your grip on the books. You walk up to the door, then slowly open it. You peek in and see that it was empty... except Grillby wiping down his bar station.  
You walk in, and he looks up. He waves, and you wave back with a soft smile.  
“H-Hey Grillby. I-I hate to bother you. But, I was wondering if I could stop by and read for a while?” another reason you wanted to come here instead of straight to Sans’ was because you were afraid you’d wake him with all your shuffling.

He just nods and continues wiping down the bar. You decide that you’d just sit in a regular booth, and you pull out the first book you can get your hands on.

Afterward, you’d sat there, pondering everything you’d just read. You’d picked up “Everything you need to know about these Magic types.”  
You had only gotten through the first chapter, but it was sort of intriguing. However, not what you were looking for. You keep skimming through pages looking for anything that might represent what Papyrus had been talking about. You’d skimmed all the way through chapters 1-4 when Grillby walks over holding a notepad and a pen. He sits on the other side of the booth, unexpectedly, and starts to write something down.  
Was he taking notes on the way I read? What in the...?

He then stops writing and shows it to you.  
What are you reading this early in the morning?  
Oh.  
You give him a soft smile, “It’s a book about the types of magic humans and monsters can have.” He begins to write again. You are quite the curious one, aren’t you? This makes you blush. “A-Am I? I just... couldn’t sleep and thought it might be a good use of time,” you explained.  
Do you like to read often? You giggled a little. “I use to do it a lot.” you then proceed with, “You know, you have to be pretty curious yourself.” He tilts his head, signaling that he had no clue what you meant. “Well, you just sat down and started asking me questions about myself, so you seem more curious than me at the moment.” Grillby seemed kind to you, and it gave you an even more respect for him.

Oh, I can leave you alone if you’d like. I was just wondering why you were reading at a time like this was all.  
He seemed like he would be sort of talkative in a normal conversation. It made you wonder why he couldn’t speak normally like everyone else. “N-No! You’re fine! I know it must get pretty boring here when no one comes in anyways. So I really don’t mind having someone to chat with.” You set your book down flat on the table, leaving your page open.  
Sometimes, but that’s alright. I’ve been doing this for years and I still love it.  
It warmed your heart. “Aww! How long have you had this place anyway?” you asked. Ever since I was a child I wanted my own restaurant like my father had. He explains. I’ve had this as my own ever since we had made it into the underground. You were happy that Grillby had followed his dreams after so many hard times. And now, he is just giving people stuff for free due to the mass murder. The monsters were really some people to look up to.  
“Wow... so, you guys must live for a long time then right?” you knew you should really be reading up on what Papyrus had told you about, but Grillby was the best distraction you could ask for right now. After all, ever since you got here all you could think about was murder, strange dreams, magic, and getting out.  
A simple chat was what you could use right about now.

Grillby simply nods, which brings you to your next question. “ I hate to bug you about this sort of stuff, but I can’t help but wonder...” you hesitate about your question for a moment. What if it was something to do with this war you keep hearing about? Or maybe the killings?! He waits there for you to finish. You decide to go through with it and suffer the consequences for it later.  
“...well, why can’t I understand you?” You bite your lip, “I mean, I know the monsters can understand you, so why not humans?” He thinks about this for a moment.  
Then begins to write. That’s just how some fire element monsters work. As long as the person has magic, they can speak to me normally. 

This interested you. But papyrus clearly stated that I had the ability to cross between life and death.  
Papyrus was also apart of some strange illusion or dreamscape. He’s probably not even real.  
“That was a much better response than I was expecting. Thank you,” you say, and he simply nods. You and Grillby end up making some small chat for a bit until someone walks into the restaurant. It wasn’t anyone you recognized, which you were grateful for, so you kept skimming through your book.  
You hear the mumbles of the monsters in the far corner of the room giving their orders, which makes you realize it was probably morning time for them.  
You’re sure Sans wouldn’t mind if you were here at Grillby’s to chat for a bit before you leave.  
You finally make it to the last Chapter of the book, and its title read “The Angel.” You felt a small knot in your stomach. You kept reading;

Now, we’ve almost made it to the conclusion of my research, but there is one left that is rarer than every other one I have mentioned. This ability is simply called “The Power of the Angel.”  
It is believed that there is one being in the entire universe that can not only heal someone almost immediately but even bring back people from the dead. Monsters have believed in the legend of The Angel for centuries now. Humans once believed in it too! The Angel has the ability to cross between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. They were even believed to be so powerful that with enough power, The Angel could free all monsters from the underground and break the barrier once and for all! The Angel is the monsters hope to escape!  
We only hope that she can defend the innocent in their time of need.  
But, none have been able to prove themselves to have the capacity for The Angels power.

This is exactly what Papyrus had been talking about! It sounded... dangerous. Like any wrong move could make a wrong-doing. It claimed that there was only one being out of the entire universe to have it. Meaning, your chances of actually having it just dropped drastically. You sigh and let your thoughts wander for only a moment.  
Grillby walks back over and holds up his notepad.  
You look disappointed by your findings. You give Grillby a small smile, and he sits down again. “I suppose. But, do you mind if I ask you a question?” he shakes his head and gives you a thumbs up, which brings a smile to your face for some reason.  
You ponder if you should actually be asking Grillby of all monsters about this.  
“Okay, so which would you rather fight?” you decide it isn’t the best move. “A hundred porcupine sized tigers or one tiger sized porcupine?” It was an absolutely silly question, but it does help to lighten your mood.  
He thinks about your question for a moment as you close the book, making a makeshift bookmark with the corner of the page.  
You look up and see, One hundred porcupine sized tigers.  
You nod with a smile, “Yeah, that’s what I’d choose too.”  
Again, you and Grillby get caught up in small talk and conversation. Suddenly, he says, I think you should at least try a sip. The two of you had gotten to the topic of Monster foods and drinks, which brought on alcohol. “I-I don’t know... It’s supposedly early morning right?” you’ll admit, in the past you’d want to drink your life away. But, most of the time you never actually could. He wouldn’t let you.  
It’ll be fine. A sip won’t do any harm. You take a deep breath. “Fine~!” He stands up, and motions you to follow him. The two of you go behind the bar counter, and you notice that whoever was there before had already left. He takes out a wine glass, then a bottle of a blue sparkling substance. “W-What is that?” you felt a small but subtle sense of distress. What if Grillby tried to drug or poison me?  
What am I saying?! I’m literally watching him pour me the drink!  
You quiet your inner demons. He pours it into the wine glass, not a lot in there, but enough for you for now.  
He hands you the drink with a nod. You look down at the pretty looking liquid. “So, which one is this exactly?” He shows you the bottle, and it read; “Echo Flower Sparkling Wine.” You were surprised that you could get such a thing from the flower. You look back to your glass and take the sip making sure not to over think anything.  
The taste was good, that was for sure. It tasted of a blue raspberry. The feeling of it in your mouth was tingly due to the magic within the drink, and you weren’t sure how it was going to affect you in the end. But, it went down smooth and you gave a smile of pleasure.  
“Alcohol tastes so much better down here.” you blurt out loud, and blush slightly. You drink the few drops that were left in the glass then hand it back to Grillby. He puts it in the sink, merely putting water in it for the time being. He writes to you; So, you like it then?  
You nod in approval and give him a smile. Wow, Grillby was so nice and gentlemen like! He even let me sample some of his drinks, and he talked with me and we had a real conversation... to a certain degree due to me not being able to hear his voice. You look over at Grillby, a strange sense of... arousal bubbling in you. This man was far better than any I’ve met on the surface. Those Glasses look cute on him too...  
You could just feel your mindset being sloshed around a bit. Not enough to act on any of your thoughts, but enough to think about them.  
Wha if I did just stay down here? Could I just stay with Grillby or something? He’s nice... You swear you could almost see Grillby laughing. Oh wait, he was! Though you couldn’t hear his laughter, he was most definitely laughing.  
He begins to write again; I see the drink is already taking in effect.  
You nod slightly, feeling kind of embarrassed, but very much so thoughtful.  
What would it be like to date a man made entirely of fire? Could I touch him? Or would that burn me?  
You both hear the jingle of the door, and look over to see none other, than Sans. He seemed surprised to see you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! I always love it when people comment on where they think it's going or their thoughts on certain parts! It really helps me keep going, and I really appreciate it!  
> Also, thank you for the kudos, and make sure to bookmark so you have easy access to the story!  
> And remember, not even I know why I started adding "and remember" at the endnotes section!  
> :3


	11. Impure Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I put that the book would have 25 chapters. But, if I go over don't be surprised or anything. I actually plan to have anywhere from 25 to 30 chapters. No more no less.  
> Alright, just gonna eat my ramen now as I upload this ;P

“Oh, His Sans!” You wave to him. Wow, that sounded perky.   
“hi...?” he says and sits down at the bar as usual.   
What about Sans? He was pretty cute in his own way. And he was pretty nice to me. And very understanding.   
“i thought you’d have left or something when i didn’t see ya back at the house,” he explains, then greets Grillby. “Yeah, well I couldn’t seep well,” you admit to him.  
I could date him. I mean, he seems to be getting cuter the more time I spend with him! I could just imagine him cuddling up to me, and sitting by the fireplace at night with nothing to do but talk all evening~  
Your thoughts seemed to be misjudging reality now. “Grillby, what in the world was in that stuff?” you asked, and you realize you slurred a bit.   
“what stuff?” sans asks the both of you. Grillby then pulls the bottle back out, and Sans erupts in a fit of laughter. It was the first time you’d seem Sans laugh so hard. He’s even cute when he laughs! Oh and that buttery voice of his...  
He wrote down something for me; Just echo flower remains and monster alcohol. It might be the remains that are making you bubbly.  
“Oh,” you say simply, your cheeks probably remaining red and flushed.   
You go back around the counter, and over to your booth while Grillby and Sans chat it up. Probably about me...  
You internally gasp. What if you had both of them? Oh, my~ I don’t think I could handle it all! Grillby was, however ironic it may be, hot in a sense. And Sans was starting to look pretty boy cute the more time I spent with him after drinking the echo wine. You clean up your books and place them back in your blanket neatly.   
You knew you had to keep all of these impure thoughts to yourself, but alcohol made you do and say some strange things in general. But that was usually after a few cups. You’d never gotten so bubbly over a couple sips!  
It has to be the magical side of the flowers as Grillby had said. You take your books and set them beside a seat next to Sans. You sit down and he looks over to you. “how ya feeling?” he asks. “Uhm... I don’t wanna throw up! I mean, I’d have to be pretty ashamed to do so after only a few sips.” you explain. He chuckles. “usually, it will make you bubbly and such because of what echo flowers are able to do.” he looks to Grillby. “i can’t believe you got her drunk this early in the morning.” Grillby just gives a thumbs up to your knowledge, though, you’d swore you’d heard him say “She was just curious.”  
You lean your head against the table and shut your eyes. “i actually came here to chat with ya a bit grillbs, considering I thought she’d left me already.” You just groan.   
How would things like.. you know... even work with a skeleton? I mean, he’s all bones! To your knowledge at least. And Grillby? I’m still afraid he might burn me if I touch him.   
You put your head up and look at the two having their own conversation. It still sounds one-sided to you, but you could care less. You were more curious about whether or not he’d burn you.   
You felt tipsy, true, but your brain was still there with you to a certain degree. You go to touch his arm, but for some reason, you didn’t wanna touch his arm. So, like any normal person would, you put your hand straight on his face. The both of them stop what they were doing. It’s silent, and you realize it wasn’t burning you. You practically had stars in your eyes, and Sans bursts out laughing again. Were you really that funny when you were intoxicated?

You remove your hand, and Grillby looked confused as hell. “I’ve stilllll got skin so that’s a good sign!” you blurt out, causing Sans to keep laughing. Grillby just face palms, shaking his head. After Sans gains his composure again, you felt sleepy suddenly. It hit you like a stack of bricks! It probably didn’t help that you weren’t sleeping much beforehand. So now, you were over there at the bar, trying to keep your eyes open.   
You were sort of zoned out, so you could’ve cared less that the two of them were watching you as you’d almost fall asleep, then wake up with a start, over and over.   
You can’t bear to stay awake any longer.   
You feel something fuzzy against your face, and then a boney arm wraps around you and picks you up. You hear the faint mumbles of someone, but you don’t care. You’re tired...  
And so, you sleep.

Of course, when you wake up, you shoot up faster than ever before. This leaves you to become dizzy, and you had to lean back a little to refrain from falling off the couch or throwing up. You give your eyes a moment to adjust, then take in your surroundings, slower this time. You saw the empty coat rack right next to the barren table. You felt the couch beneath you, and the neatly stacked books beside you. You came to the realization that you weren’t at Grillby’s anymore, and instead, you were back at Sans’. You uncovered from the blanket, and look around for the skeleton. It was quiet in the house, but not too quiet, as you could hear the shuffling from upstairs. He must be in his room. Your sight lands on the fireplace, expecting the familiar crackling and soft glow of the fire. But it wasn’t lit anymore.  
You hear the shuffling of feet get louder, and you look up to realize he was staring down at you.   
“wow hun, what a power nap ya took,” he comments. He makes his way down here, and small blush settled over your face.   
You’d passed out back at Grillby’s after staying up too late and drinking that wine. “and ya already look better too! s’ only been like 20 minutes.” He seemed impressed with the odd nap you just randomly took.   
“U-Uh... yeah...” you trail off. You were still a little disoriented, but you knew you needed to come back to reality and all. 

“i have to say, was’n expecting ya to be at grillby’s so early.” He says, “neither had i expected ya to drink either.” he walks over to the couch and plops down beside you. “Yeah... neither was I.” you state firmly. he just gives a slight chuckle before leaning his head back. You go over the last moments before you passed out, and it got you flushed from your previous thoughts.   
“that stuff makes ya bubbly as hell, that’s for sure,” he comments, and hide your face in your hands. “I-I should probably get going.” you say, and stand to your feet. “already?” he asks immediately, making you look back at him. “W-Well, I know I have a long road ahead of me. S-So an early start sh-should be g-good.” Why were you such a nervous wreck all the time!?

“heh. guess so,” he says and lays his head back down. His eyes were now shut, and you turn away to gather your belongings. “ya need a bag for all those books ya got there hun?” he asks, and you realize he only has one eye socket open. You look down at your books, knowing it would be a bitch to carry them all around with nothing but your arms and hands. You gave a sigh, then nodded. Then, he pops out of the room entirely, leaving you to your own for a bit. You start to collect the books on top of the couch, and as you were, you realize you were wearing his jacket still. Your eyes widen, and you almost drop the book you were gripping onto in the heat of embarrassment.   
You had then began to take it off as swiftly as possible, only for a deep voice to go, “keep it for now. i’m sure you can drop it off with alphys in hotlands.” You stop and peer over the jacket through the top hole. “B-But I won’t really need it a-and it will get pretty hot there so I think maybe-”

“seriously. just keep it,” he says, interrupting your ramble. Honestly, you would rather give the jacket back now, so you wouldn’t feel guilty. Not only that, you wouldn’t exactly feel comfortable all on your own in that lab of hers.   
“O-Okay...” you trail off, giving into the offer.   
You fit the jacket back over yourself, and Sans helped you gather the books into a backpack. Once the bag was over your shoulders, you took a deep breath. “a’ight. ready hun?” he asks you, and you give a soft nod toward him. He does the same and opens the door for you. You wave to him goodbye and give him a small smile as he returns the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again for all your comments, kudos, and bookmarks!   
> Seriously, thank you! Each one of those can let me know that you want more from the series and that gives me a little nudge in the right direction!  
> And remember... Sans still hasn't paid his bill -_-


	12. Wind Chime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I have anything important to say except enjoy!

You were on your own now, at least for a while. You weren’t sure if the thought comforted you, or if it made you nervous. You’d almost died in the blizzards of Snowdin on your own, but that was because you were wearing the most inappropriate clothing for winter weather. Now, you’d be in Waterfall. And, sure, while there were times where it might get kinda chilly, you’d be fine for the most part.   
You remembered Quinn from the nice cream stand yesterday, and you’d hoped you might run into him and say hi on your way. Though, the way Sans spoke about him yesterday, he probably went around to different spots in the underground. So the possibility of that happening was little to none. Maybe.  
You walked on for a while. Taking in the quiet streams of water that you passed by from before. Waterfall had to be your favorite out of all of these places, and you knew you wouldn’t have too much trouble getting to hotlands. You stuffed your hands into the pocket of the hoodie, taking in nice and steady breaths. Usually, you would have found the silence eerie and creepy. But, the calming water sounds made the experience much better. As you passed by, you felt calm to the point where you had not been to in a while. A walk by the streams and the waterfalls was as soothing as it sounds. The gravel underneath your feet was soft, but not slippery, so you could move at a much better pace than you had in Snowdin. If you hadn’t had felt the obligation toward the surface, then you might have stayed down in the underground. Right here in Waterfall, giving you a nice feeling over you as you woke up and heard the water. Of course, that was some silly fantasy that could never come to be.   
Right?

The quietness makes you clear your mind. Your thoughts seemed far away, and you almost wished you had someone to share it with. But who? Who would want to put up with a paranoid girl such as yourself? You were starting to ruin your peaceful moment with your thoughts. 

Though, your thoughts weren’t the only thing that was disrupting it. You hear a strange noise of something clattering together constantly. It sounded like a thin metal or glass even.  
You look around and realize that just up ahead was a set of pathways. Down one, was where the sound was coming from. There was one that was obviously a dead end, so you didn’t go down it. That left two others. You go down the next one, the one with the noise. You look around and see the source of the noise. It was a wind chime hanging idly on a house. There were two houses. Both seemed to have a color to them, but it had faded out over time. One was supposed to be pink, the one with the wind chime on it, and the other a blue. It seemed as though there was some sort of memorial on the pink one, and out of curiosity, you went over to check it out.   
There were arrangements of different types of flowers from the kind you found when you first fell, to one or two echo flowers. A few of them seemed to be wilting, which had you wonder how long these had been here. There was a photo laying against one of the unlit candles that lied there. You don’t pick it up, but you do look at who is in it. There, was a picture of what appeared to be a robot. They were square, so it was hard to really tell. Next to the robot were two people. One of which you recognized to be Alphys. The other was... a ghost. You’d never met them before.

Nor did you think it would be a good idea to ask around for this person. You stood back up and felt a pang of sorrow wash over you. This must have been someone well known that died here. You wished you had a box of matches or a lighter to re-light the candles again, but you didn’t. The sight gave you a new feeling of disappointment in the previous person that fell down here. This person had family and friends. And now they’re gone.  
You knew you had to get out of there before someone had caught you. There was also the possibility that you could start getting too emotional. Either one was a no-no at the moment, so you backtracked to the previous room. You then went the last possible way, and let the silence take over as you went further and further away from the wind chime...

You made your way through room after room, growing quite bored with the lack of company on this long walk. You knew you would be approaching hotlands soon, which meant you’d have to find someplace to stop there...

But could you really go to Alphys’? You felt unsettled by what was underneath that place, and after your strange ‘epiphany’ from the other night, you weren’t sure what to think anymore. Everything was so tangled up in your brain again, as your thoughts had been brought back to Papyrus. You hoped that this would all just end. But did you? You hadn’t felt so alive in a very long time. You’d met some friendly characters and overall had an okay experience so far. But, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t treachery up ahead. That at any moment the tables would turn and you’d be on the losing team again.  
This was the type of paranoia that kept you up at night. Wondering if anyone could be there in the darkness. It was like you could only see out of one eye. The one eye you were able to see through was showing you all the kindness and serenity. But the other was the one that made you stutter and get all nervous about. The closed one, that, for some reason, you couldn’t open. And in turn, it made you feel blind all together. 

You realize you were sort of confusing yourself now, but in a way, it made perfect sense. Just as you had broken out of your thoughts, you see a giant screen on the wall that glitched with every word that came on.

“We---m- -o Ho-l--ds.”

The screen was in just as bad of shape as lots of other things down here, so you paid no mind to it. You stopped once you reached the boiling hot room. You took off your backpack and already felt like you were going to start sweating. There was lava literally just a few feet below you, and it gave anxiety. You brought the hoodie back over your head and stuffed it into the backpack. You hadn’t the slightest clue what you were really doing, and you knew that.   
All you knew was that you needed to get back to the laboratory, then get the hell to the surface.  
Of course, nothing is EVER that easy.  
You put the backpack over your shoulders and step forward onto the bridge. You took a deep breath, but it didn’t feel too calming to you anymore. The bubbling of lava underneath you gave you an internal panic attack. The bridge had looked rickety to Sans, so you just teleported over it. Now, you were to face this by yourself. Without magic.  
The odds were no longer in your favor, and you knew hotlands was going to be hell...  
Literally and figuratively.

You gripped the rope railing until your knuckles turned stark white. You then began to take careful steps toward the middle platform. Your heart rate had increased so much, that if you didn’t die in the pit of lava, you knew you’d die of a heart attack of some sort.  
You looked straightforward, trying to think of anything else but the fall and the burning. To think about anything but the fact that death was probably knocking on your door. No... Banging on your door.  
You heard a sudden creak that was a bit too loud for your taste. You stopped where you were, and your eyes were as wide as ever. This is it! This is where I die! You thought to yourself. You kept going, and more creaks followed.   
You were almost there! You could just taste the terrain! Okay, not literally, but you were that close. You closed your eyes and felt yourself take a leap of faith toward the ground. You had made it and heard a snap as you had. You look back, still sitting on the ground. You notice that one of the corners of rope had been broken off. 

That merely meant that you weren’t turning back now.

You collect yourself from the jump and make sure you still had everything before braving the second bridge. Once you’re up and ready, you begin to go across, just as you had the last bridge. You were sweaty already, what with the lava and the tension. All of it was just resonating through the air, giving a terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach.

You were fine until you hit the halfway point, in which another creak was heard. This time, you don’t waste time and pick up with pace. You go slightly faster with your walking, and the bridge rocks as one of the corners snap, just as the other one had. You mentally cursed, clamping your hands down on the sides.   
You kept going, praying that nothing else would snap. But, of course, something had snapped not a moment later and you felt yourself rock and bounce even harder as the opposite corner breaks too. Meaning that the other two diagonal ropes were all that was left. This was a blanking act.  
You felt like at any moment you could just throw up. Your breathing was faster, and you felt dizzy from all the heat and panicking.   
In and Out. In and Out.  
You wobbled over, step by step trying to make it to the last platform. The creaking began again. You knew that if another one broke, you’d be toast. You were so close though! Just... a little.... further...!  
You were panting like a dog practically, and as soon as you heard that snap, you jumped for it.   
You were flying for only a quick moment before your nails dug into the ground, getting some dirt underneath them. It made you cringe on the inside, but you were currently hanging over the edge, so you had no time to dawdle over such a small inconvenience. It also hadn’t helped that on the side of the platform, you’d slashed you leg against something sharp, and when you looked down, it had been a rock that had resurfaced over time.   
You clawed your way up, grabbing ahold of the two stakes that had once held the bridge up. You were then lying on your stomach, your breathing slowing ever so slightly.   
You’d made it.   
I actually did it...!   
You felt a proud smile was over your features, then you flop onto your back so you didn’t have to face the dirt. However, your smile soon faded, as you felt a strong pang of pain in your leg. You’d almost forgotten that you had given yourself a giant gash in your leg. You sat up and looked at yourself, wincing at the pain. It stung, badly. You knew you wouldn’t be able to get much farther like this.  
Overheating, injured, and worn out.

You turned your head the opposite direction, looking down the pathway. Up ahead, you knew, was Alphys’ lab. I have no choice, You thought. You picked yourself up the best you could and started limping slightly toward the large, metal laboratory.  
Your mind was swirling. Like what you were seeing could possibly be an illusion of some sort. Of course, when you went to lean up against the metal building, your hand burned. This caused you to jump back.   
How stupid do I have to be to have touched that right now?

You breathed in and out deeply like you were greedily hogging the oxygen around you. Then, you jump once more at the sounds of a mechanical door whirring behind you. There stood that familiar yellow monster with the glasses, looking at you worriedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was very shocked to see that overnight I'd gotten almost 50 more hits. I'm sure others have had way more, but it's a nice feeling.  
> As always, thank you guys so much for all your supportive comments and kudos! It's so nice to see how much you all like certain chapters and parts, or what reactions you had to them. It honestly does help me improve the story! You could also help give your opinions and suggestions on where you think I'm going with the plot! Like I said, it's fun to see your reactions!  
> And remember, Mettaton backward is Notattem.


	13. A Step in the Right Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am on a ROLL today!!  
> I've already made another three chapters in one day, uploaded a chapter up to here, and now I'm uploading another one.
> 
> Also, I want to address the tag where I said 'Eventual Smut'  
> It won't happen in book one. This will happen in book two though.  
> And YES there will be a book two.  
> I just had a lot of ideas for the story that I can't cover in one book without going overboard. So, a second book felt fitting. ENJOY!

You wanted to wail out at how much the wound stung with every dab of rubbing alcohol Alphys put on it. You gripped your opposite thigh, hoping that the pain would soon fade out. “I-I had no I-Idea you’d be c-crossing through h-here a-already!” she seemed like she was sweating in a panic. You had to admit, you weren’t as afraid of her as you used to be, but you still would keep your guard up just in case.   
“Y-Yeah. Well, I suppose I l-left a bit early,” you stuttered. She gives a brief sigh, then puts the rag she had been using down. “S-Sans should have told me you were coming! I s-swear he just i-isn’t very careful s-sometimes.” it sounded as if she were saying that to herself in spite, rather than toward you.   
“I have b-been meaning to get Sans over here to assist in p-putting up a new one, but he always sleeps i-in.” she grabs the wrapping from next to the bottle and begins to wrap it around your calf. She had told you how you’d been lucky to have not hit anything vital, and you had agreed.   
“Well, I suppose there isn’t much of a choice to it now then, huh?” I responded.   
She gives a soft nod, then stops to admire her handy work. “There d-didn’t used to be bridges there.” she says, “But for some reason, the terrain had started to crumble over the years... a-and now that s-small platform is all that's left.” she seemed worried about this occurrence. On the surface, that would be nothing but nature taking its course. But, down here, you realized that it wasn’t the same in that aspect.   
The underground and monsters were only still there because of the CORE, Alphys had explained that to her briefly as she had collected the supplies. You put your leg down, immediately telling that walking would still be a challenge. And while it wasn’t that you couldn’t walk at all, it was because you’d be limping with every other step, slowing you down in the over-barring heat. 

You knew you wouldn’t stand too much of a chance without stopping every ten to fifteen minutes. That meant you were stuck with Alphys for a while. 

Alphys puts away the medical kit, and you watched silently. You look over to your bag and see the blue from Sans’ hoodie. You were thankful you’d remembered to take it off before you’d crossed those bridges. Your attention is brought back to Alphys when the sound of a cabinet shutting is heard. She walks back and places herself in the chair in front of you. She takes off her glasses and begins to clean them with her coat and such.   
You take a moment to survey the room carefully. There were paper and books of all sorts scattered about. You could even catch a glimpse of a set of blueprints every now and then. 

“So, were you able to do anything with that tape?” you asked, breaking the silence. You also noticed a few tools here and there. She’s brought you up the escalator as her supplies were also up here. “A-Ah! Well, sort of.” she seemed distant at that question.  
Had she figured out who it was? The doctor had been a mystery this whole time, and while you weren’t sure why it had seeped into your dreams or why this mattered so greatly, you were curious as to her results.  
“I-I’m not sure if S-Sans would like the a-answer if I t-told him though...” she was embarrassed, and for once you could see yourself in another person.  
Do I really look like that when I feel that way?  
You weren’t sure whether to ask who it was, or why Sans wouldn’t like her answer.  
“Well, could I know?” sure, it probably had little to actually do with you. But, you wouldn’t tell him if it really meant that much to her.  
“U-Uh... I-I suppose. Though, I-I’m sure you won’t understand too much.” she mumbled, and got back up. She went over to a separate counter and scrounged around for something until she picked up some sort of paper.  
She comes back and shows you an image from your dream. The tears were still there, but they’d been removed to a certain degree around The Doctor. This was a man who was purely platinum white, resembling that of a skeleton like Sans or, dare you to say it, Papyrus. You stared blankly at him. As if you felt something or someone holding your head toward the image, your eyes glued to just him.  
“H-His name is W.D. G-Gaster.” She began to explain, bring you out of your trance. “H-He was the p-previous royal scientist of the underground. King A-Asgore and he were very c-close.” her voice was becoming more hushed the more words she put into her sentences. The old royal scientist... The Doctor.  
It made perfect sense why he was ‘The Doctor.’ But the box itself was still a mystery. “If the carving meant that it was to or from him, how the hell does that make any sense?” it was like a puzzle. A detective case that needed some smart thinking. It kind of made you feel giddy inside.   
“I-I’m not sure. B-But I definitely know that it i-isn’t to him. It has to be from him i-if anything.” she explains. “The only monsters w-who have any m-memory of him are Sans and me.” You hand her the picture, not sure you felt good holding it anymore.   
“But, what happened to him? Is there any chance that he’s still underground?” She sighs, then adjusts her glasses. “Dr. Gaster was very i-intelligent! He was the one who c-created the C-CORE. B-but eons ago, he fell into his own experiment a-and was shattered through t-time and space.” It was almost like she was reciting a story the way she’d said those words.  
Shattered through time and space rang through your mind, and the words gave you shiver down your spine.

“Then where does that leave us?” you asked, giving her a confused, and almost concerned, look. She shakes her head, “I feel l-like we’re back to square one.” This made you lean back in your chair, and close your eyes.

The dream had to depict more than just a face. Maybe a set of numbers, or a certain word that was said. But, the dream's words are long gone from my own memory. Maybe there was something that we’re missing here? Something that is staring us straight in the face.  
With my luck recently, that was probably the case.

You open your eyes as a realization hits you, and you remember your most recent ‘dream.’ The one with Papyrus. Did that have something to do with whatever was going on? At first glance, it seemed unlikely. But, that dream was still fresh in your memory, as it was one you couldn’t forget even if you tried.  
papyrus had mentioned something about being able to cross between the living and the dead. He had also said that you were the only one to possess such a power, but you weren’t really sure if that was possible.   
Besides, it was only a dream. And your previous dream had only gotten you to a dead end.  
But, with nowhere else to go... Is it worth a shot?

Will Alphys understand and take into consideration about these dreams as Sans had?  
She had to, considering she believed in your first one with Gaster in it. At this point, what did you have to lose...?

You turn around in the swivel chair, and you could feel Alphys’ eyes on you. You set the hoodie aside, and dig through your stack of books. “W-What are you l-looking for?” she asks, and you pull out the previous book that you’d stopped on.   
You remember how Grillby had persuaded you into trying some of that wine but immediately focus right back to the task at hand.  
There was no doubt in your mind that you’d be here for at least a few days, so you might as well make the most of it, right?

You plop the book down on the desk and sip to the last page you were on. You both sat there in silence as you skimmed through pages. Each one talking about rare powers and magic. It made you realize that the book went from the most common to the least common.  
So if what Papyrus said was correct, then this has to be one of the rarest.  
You skip over chapter 5 for the most part, until you reach the very last chapter.

“Th-The Angel?” Alphys read, and it made you realize she had been reading over your shoulder. It made you feel a little uncomfortable, but you thought you might be on to something. So, you put the feeling aside and continued on. 

“Just last night I couldn’t sleep because I had another dream. But, it felt so much different,” you say aloud. “The first one felt like I was watching someone else, like a first-person point of view movie. But I was so much more in control of what I was doing and-” you were about to mention Papyrus, but you weren’t sure how she would take it.   
Papyrus was a monster, so she would have had to know him... right? I mean, he was a skeleton, like Sans. Maybe they were related? But, you had no proof. Papyrus knew Sans, so you immediately just assumed-  
“A-And?” she asked, now eager to hear more. “And... do you happen to know Papyrus?” At your words, she was taken aback. That only confirmed that she knew him. “H-How...? Was he in your dream?” she didn’t look too upset, just surprised.   
Maybe they weren’t as close.  
You nodded. “He told me something about this.” you point to the title of the chapter. She turns away and starts pacing as if taking in the information.

“By the sounds of it, y-you appear to be... no that... that’s i-impossible!” she was talking to me, but it immediately went back to talking to herself. “I-It’s only an urban legend!” she kept telling herself this.   
She looks to you in thought. It goes silent, and you think you know what she’s about to suggest, but there was no telling for sure.  
“I-I’m not sure... this isn’t...” she seemed so offset by all this. Maybe you dropped too much at once? Well, if you hadn’t, it wouldn’t have made any sense to her.  
“I-I’m not for sure about this either. I mean, like you said, Gaster was shattered through time and space. Meaning, he isn’t necessarily dead. Plus, the first dream wasn’t a direct communication.” you say, trying to leave all our options on the table. She looked at you, still in silence.  
“I-I think...” she starts taking in a deep breath. “I think we should test out this theory. T-Tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you are excited and really want a second book uploaded to AO3 then don't forget to comment and leave a kudos! I really appreciate the support!  
> And remember, The Great Papyrus believes in you!!  
> Have a nice day guys!


	14. Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello Again! I literally wrote up to chapter 23...  
> So I might update a bit more today because I'm so ahead.  
> I think I know exactly how I want everything to go from here on out, so hopefully, it works out and I don't goof it up.

You now sat on a couch, one slightly less comfortable than Sans’, but it would do. Alphys was setting up some sort of device to you. “So... remind me what’s going to happen again?” you asked, still unsure of what the hell was happening.  
“This is g-going to connect to your brain and it will not only record your dream, but I’ll be able to see i-it as it’s h-happening.” she was setting something up to a bunch of chords. “So... you’ll be able to see whatever I dream about?” You didn’t know how you felt about the idea. “P-Precisely!” but she seemed excited.  
“I just... there’s a chance that I’m not even going to have a dream about this again, you understand that right?” It was true. Dreams are unpredictable. There was no way that we’d be able to get this on the first go.  
“M-Maybe. B-But if y-you do end up having a-another dream and it directly l-links you to... y-you know...” her stutters indicated that she was trying to convince you, “...then this c-could mean so much m-more than Gaster or the b-box!”  
You had gotten the chance to read over chapter 6 of that book, and you understood her point.  
It had claimed that whoever could hold the power could have a chance at even breaking the barrier. Though, the way the author had written it, they sounded like there would be a price to pay for such a thing to happen.  
What was that price? Well, let’s just say you could tell it wasn’t going to be an easily let go one.

But, there was still the fact that you don’t believe in the fact that you could have magic. Sure, Sans had already stated that it wasn’t impossible for a human mage to be alive... but what Alphys was testing for was... well, it was a stretch beyond stretches. Not only that, she already said that ‘The Angel’ was just an urban legend. And, while they were cool and nice to think about, most of them were never true.  
“A-Alright. Now, I-I’m going to hook these to your temples,” she sits beside you, “and then w-when you fall asleep, this machine will scan your brain until it finds any of the m-mentioned tags I p-put into it.” You close your eyes as she hooks the rounded suction cups to the sides of your head. She then gives you a reassuring smile. “O-Okay. I already got you everything you n-need for the night, s-so you should be good,” she says. You mentally agreed with that statement. She had gotten you two pillows, one for your leg and the other for your head, a blanket, and even a bottle of water. You were honestly grateful for that. She’d already gotten you a bowl of ramen while she had set everything up, so you were even fed. 

You’d realized that most of your suspicions had been erased after the two of you had put your heads together. This whole ordeal was just... an adventure. One that you knew you’d never be able to forget.  
“G-Goodnight!” she waved to you, and you look her way and wave as well. When she leaves, shutting the door behind her, you let out an exhausted sigh. This day had been pretty rough on you. And now? You were being used as a means to get into your dreams... again.  
Though, you minded it less this time than the first time.  
You looked over at the machine, listen to the soft whirring of technology. You realize that there has been so much going on in just the past few days that you’d barely thought about showering. You’d even forgotten to eat a few times at how busy you’d gotten yourself.  
But could anyone really blame you?  
And the thoughts about whether or not you actually had magic was nerve-wracking. While you were positive that you didn’t have such dreams, you couldn’t help but wish you did. Hell, if you actually did, would you be able to break the barrier as that book had said? It said it took a lot of magical energy and practice.  
These were the kind of thoughts you never thought you’d have.  
But here you were.

You shut your eyes, attempting to block out any more thoughts. You needed to go to sleep and get these things off your head because they were already beginning to get annoying.  
You sat there for what felt like hours... until you finally fell asleep.  
And of course... you dreamt...

Again, you found yourself standing in that black and white room. The same dress that you definitely hadn’t been wearing before, and just ahead was Papyrus. He wore that permanent smile, but you didn’t mind of course. You pull the dress up enough to check where your wound was, and sure enough, there were bandages missing from where they use to be. Though, the wound itself was almost transparent. As if it almost never existed. “You know! I use to love doing puzzles, human!” He comments out of nowhere, causing you to drop the dress and look up.  
“Oh?” you decided to see where this conversation would go. He nods, and suddenly a table appears in front of the both of you, right in between the black side and the white side.  
On the table was nothing but a box. No... The box.  
“I can tell, in your own way, you do too!” you don’t respond to this, but you kept it in mind.  
Puzzles... weren’t terrible. They kept you busy and it kept your mind going.  
“Though, I suppose a puzzle without enough information isn’t very helpful...!” he adds, and instinctively, you nod.  
“Do you know how to solve this one?” you asked him, breaking your gaze from the box. He shakes his head solemnly. “I’m afraid not. I wish I could be of some assistance, human.” You approach the table, but just as you were about to grab it, it vanishes, almost making you tumble forwards. Though, you’re stopped by the invisible forcefield that separated you and Papyrus.  
“How do I know if this is real? If what you say isn’t just some figment of my imagination?” Papyrus thinks for a moment, posing quizzically.  
“Well, I suppose you could attempt to master said magic,” he says as if he wasn’t sure either. “Either that, or you’ll just have to take my word for it!” he shrugs, and places his hands on his... hips? If you could even say that.  
“But where do I start?” you asked. You weren’t sure what to believe and what not to believe anymore.  
“Hm...” he starts, “Maybe that box?” though you were starting to become restless.  
“I know that the man who spoke in hands to me said something about a certain date? Like... of the year? I’m not sure...!” he seemed so innocent. “Perhaps Alphys or my brother will know? Yeah?” he says, and you can tell he was trying his best.  
A date...? But what date would be important enough to use as a code?  
“That... might actually help,” you mumbled. A smile is plastered on his face. “I know you can do it human! I believe in you!”

Your eyes slowly open, and you realize that you’re still hooked up to that machine in Alphys’ laboratory. You groan, as you feel the wires, that had been hooked to your head, had dug into your temples as you slept. You take them off of yourself and set them aside. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and sat up slowly.  
Apparently, you’d gone into a deeper sleep than usual. Although, there was no doubt in your mind that you did feel far better than you had yesterday.  
You hear voices from outside the door a moment, and you stop. The door opens, and Alphys walks in. “G-Good Morning!” she sounded excited. You mumble the same to her, unsure why she was so excited. Then, you recall the whole reason you had wires on your head.  
I suppose it worked, You thought and brought your leg over the pillow it had been resting on. You swipe the blanket off as Alphys messes with the machine until the soft sounds that had been coming from it disappeared.  
“I... I guess it worked?” you asked, your voice a little hoarse from your lack of use overnight. She nods. “It worked perfectly! Th-Though this does make me wonder if that really was... well, y-you know,” she says, and her spirits went down a little.  
You carefully stand up, Alphys assisting you. “I-I wanted to wait to c-call Sans considering... well this might hit h-him a bit hard. And he w-won’t take such accusations l-lightly,” she says.  
She had a valid point too, and you knew that. After all, Papyrus only confirmed the fact that Sans and he were brothers. 

“Good... I would hate for him to get upset or anything,” you say truthfully. You realize how much Sans probably went through, losing his brother in such a horrendous way.  
The thought alone saddened you. “So, I-I say that f-for now, we keep this between us,” she says, waiting for your agreement. You nod, knowing it was for the best.  
You both left that room and went back to the brightly lit one, where your eyes had to adjust.  
“However, I do want him to know a-about what happened with the b-bridges y-yesterday,” she says, and you sit down in the same chair from yesterday evening.  
“M-Maybe that will convince him t-to help me r-replace them...” she mumbled, walking off for a moment. You guessed it was to call Sans.  
You let out a deep sigh, waiting for her to return.

Sans POV (3rd)

Sans watched the fireplace silently. It was early morning, another one he would spend alone per usual. He’d been up since the middle of the night, drinking himself silly. Now, he’d grown tired of it, just watching the flames just as you had been. He wasn’t sure why you wanted to leave in such a hurry. Had he done something wrong? No, that was the alcohol talking. He could tell that much. But, it was still a small thought that he’d kept in the back of his head.  
He had only put the fireplace there because of the extreme blizzards that Snowdin had been getting after the last human left.  
He found it to be unsettling. He had later discovered that it wasn’t just Snowdin, but Hotlands and Waterfall as well.  
Of course, different symptoms for different places.  
A few years back, he attempted to put effort into figuring out why exactly. But he had such little hope in general, that he couldn’t care less. After a long, exhausted groan escapes him, and he lies himself down on the floor, still keeping his eye lights on the fire.  
For the last fifteen years, all he wanted to do was stay in his room and mope, never coming out. It was like bad luck surrounded him. With every person he met and everything he did, it would get ruined completely.  
He trusted that kid. They’d done nothing but be kind to everyone for several RESET’s.  
Then, just when he’d been growing tired of them, they changed things for the worse. The slaughter was one the underground would never forget. It sent shivers down his spine just thinking about the way they’d looked at him in that judgment hall.  
And his brother...  
He’d been furious the first few times, but that soon turned into depression and desperation.  
So, when they killed everyone but a few froggits and left the underground to never return... he wasn’t sure how to feel.  
Thankful that the days would no longer repeat, yes. But the trauma had already settled into him. It scarred him, just reliving the moment where he saw his brothers dust. Or even when he’d fought the human he used to call his friend.

He wanted his brother back more than anything in the world... but that was an impossible wish, that could never come true.  
Now, some new human girl falls... All he could think about was how she had been so quiet and easily embarrassed. Hell, could he even say that she was actually pretty cute? That he thought that, maybe... just maybe... she would stay underground?  
He’d thought about telling you straight away that she’d have to kill a monster and use its soul to leave. But, the expression on her face... how could he? How could he break such an awful thing to that kind girl?  
So, he only told a portion of the truth. Told her that it would require a long distance of walking. Of course, her response to how far she was willing to go gave him a sense of optimism.  
She didn’t seem to be the determined type. Hell, when he’d found her, she looked like she was already about to give up.  
Now, there was no telling where in the underground she was.  
He wondered whether or not she’d figured out the whole story to leaving. Had she taken a monsters life and escaped already?  
she wouldn’t do that...  
she couldn’t do that...  
right...?

He felt his eyes beginning to close out of exhaustion. His thoughts were weights that sleep could lift easily. It was temporary, but temporary was enough for now...

He shot up though, as the sound of his cell began to go off.  
and i was so fuckin’ close too.

He groans and uses the couch as leverage to stand up. He trudges over to the phone, now feeling dazed and sleepy. When he sees that Alphys is the one calling, he groans a second time.  
i swear to god dinosaur if this isn’t important...

“yell?” he says into the phone after answering.  
“S-Sans? Oh, thank the s-stars you aren’t a-asleep.” she sighs. He does the same in return, rubbing his skull at all the stuttering combined with her high pitched voice.  
Alphys was a good friend and an even better co-worker. But, she tended to call pretty often with her needing help with certain things. Most of the time, he wouldn’t answer the phone because he knew he’d have gotten dragged into something he didn’t want anything to do with.  
“why are ya callin’ so early in the mornin’?” he wanted her to get to the point already.

“R-Right... Well, Nicole is here a-at the lab right n-now.” at her name, he perked up a bit, listening more intently now. “She had a bit of a-an accident crossing those b-bridges in Hotlands...” she sounded nervous.  
That, in turn, made him nervous.  
He wondered if she was alright. I mean, she couldn’t have died that easily, right? It’s only been one day!  
He hoped that that wasn’t the case.

“i-is she alright?” his voice went into a stutter, and he wasn’t sure why. Though he had a sneaking suspicion it was from the booze he drank a few hours ago. “Oh, w-well... define a-alright.” Her words weren’t helping.  
“well, what happened?”  
“Well, the bridges c-c-collapsed underneath her. L-Luckily she made it across, but she has a pretty n-nasty w-wound in her l-leg.”  
He mentally slapped himself in the face. He scolded himself for not helping her with that one sooner, or even just helping the gal across.  
How could he have forgotten about the bridges?  
“i’ll... i’ll be right there,” he said, rubbing a phalange down his skull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your wonderful comments, everyone! I'm glad that you would want a second book out of this! I'm not exactly sure what I'd call it just yet.... but baby steps, right?  
> Also, thank you for your kudos they mean a lot to me too!  
> And remember, Grammarly doesn't always have correct Grammar.... :|


	15. 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyyyyy!

You could feel yourself falling asleep by the second. Alphys said she wanted to discuss the dream, but she wanted to go over it a few more times to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. So, you were left to your own. While you had gotten a pretty good sleep last night, you still felt drowsy. Most likely due to your sleep schedule being all over the place.  
It made you feel lazy and unproductive deep down, but honestly it was as if the life had been sucked out of you.  
You thought it might be your dream that had drained you, but could dreams do that?  
You jump up, almost falling out of the chair as something loud is knocked over downstairs. You hear a deep voice cursing silently. “alphys? where are ya?” Your eyes widen at the voice.   
Why was Sans here?  
Then, you trail back in your mind as you remember that Alphys had called him.   
You rubbed the side of your head, wondering to yourself how you could have forgotten that.  
You go to stand up and limp over just above the escalator. “Sans?” you say, and then you see him pop his head out from behind the corner. He looked up at you, and then climbs the escalator, not waiting for the slow movements they took.

“hey. alphys told me about your leg.” he seemed overly concerned, with a mixture of sleepiness as well. You both probably matched with your droopy eyes.   
“Y-Yeah.” you say. “here, ya didn’t need to stand up.” he assists you back to the chair. “I-It’s fine Sans. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore. Especially since it was yesterday.” you say, reassuring him. But, according to his expression, you realized that he didn’t know that this was an incident of yesterday.  
“alphys didn’t tell me this yesterday.” he rubbed the front of his skull, and you could sense a tiny bit of frustration.   
He looks back up at you, then carefully pulls your injured leg up. He began to un-bandage it, and you could see the imprints of the wrapping squeezing at your skin.   
When it’s fully taken off, he inspects the gash. It didn’t look as bad as it had yesterday, so that was a relief. “did she disinfect it?” he asks, and you could smell something in his breath. “Yes...” you try to think of what that smell might be. It smelled fruity, to an extent. Like... oh what was it?  
“Echo Wine?” you blurt out, and immediately regret that. You’d been so used to speaking your mind with Alphys about everything.   
You could see the flush of embarrassment wash over his face.  
Oh, he’d been drinking... You thought, bringing you to give him a sincere smile. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to-”  
“it’s okay. i have to admit, i am impressed that you could recognize the scent already,” he mumbles. You felt so much guilt now. It weighed on your back like an itch that wouldn’t go away.  
He was looking to you, his face still flushed a little.   
“Sans, Alphys already did everything with my leg possi-”  
“i can stitch it.” he interrupts you for the second time.   
“Um... no,” you say without hesitation. He looks at you, confused. “but your leg-”  
“But you’re drunk.”  
At that comment, he cowers slightly. You remove your leg from his lap and scoot closer to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh...” you say, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looks over to you and gives you a soft smile, one that you’d just given him as well.  
“i-it’s fine. i understand that it wasn’t the smartest suggestion,” he explains. Then, he begins analyzing you. This time, it was your turn to look away in embarrassment.   
“ya look like ya haven’t slept very good,” he says. You bite at the inside of your mouth. “I-I... I could say the same for you.” your voice was hushed now. You look back at him and see him looking at you still, but in a different way. Like... he was worried about you. The silence fills the room like never before.   
Suddenly, looking at his calm expression toward you, you felt a strange feeling within yourself. It felt like a heartbeat... but with more emotion to it.

Was that my Soul?

Before you can question the feeling any longer, you hear Alphys rushing your way. Your gaze is broken as the small monster approaches the both of you in a rushed and apologetic manner.   
“I-I am s-so sorry guys! I-I heard the c-crash and the c-call and...” she trailed off, taking deep breaths in attempts to ease herself.  
“slow down alphys,” Sans says, and she looks toward the both of us.   
“O-Okay... uh, so I might- I mean...” Alphys straightens herself, “I-I think i’ve found s-something for that... thing you were t-talking about!”   
You understand immediately what she was talking about. “O-Oh! Yes, uh, okay. Well um...” you look around, not moving your head. “I-I’ll meet you about that in a second... yeah?” you say, and she gives a soft nod before taking her leave back downstairs. You let out a sigh, and you feel something grip your hand. You spin back around and realize your hand had trailed from his shoulder to his hand somehow. Your cheeks go red, and when you look at Sans, he was still watching the place where Alphys had left. 

That thumping began in your chest again. “what was that about?” he asks, and looks over at you. You were left speechless, as your soul thumped every other second. “Uh... I-It was... was...”   
You knew you could be a stuttering mess sometimes, but you’d always found something to use as a response. You’d never been left as dumbfounded as you were right now in almost any circumstance.   
He gives you a curious look, then trails down to your hands. You could see the panic run over his features, and slowly slides his hand away. “s-sorry... i didn’t realize...” he trailed off, completely embarrassed.   
Your soul calmed down, and the feeling went away.  
“I-I should go talk to her,” you say. But before you can stand up, he stops you. You look down at him, unsure of what to expect. “y-you uh... you forgot to let me wrap this backup.” he holds up the wrap. You sit back down, and back your chair up, letting him take your leg once more. He wraps up the bandage, and you give him a small thank you, before carefully taking your leave. 

When you knew you were out of sight from Sans, you gripped your shirt at the front. You hadn’t even noticed how much your breathing had quickened.   
You could hear the shuffling of feet from below as you reached the bottom of the escalator. You sigh and look over to see Alphys at her desk.  
You walk over. “Hey, Alphys. What is it you wanted to tell me?” she spins around to look at me and hands me a piece of paper she’d written on and tore out of something.  
There were a number of different dates on the paper, and you look up at her. “You think it could be some of these?” you asked, your voice more hushed now.   
She nods, “I think that y-you had a valid p-point when you said that Dr. Gaster wasn’t n-necessarily dead.” She sounded proud of herself. “So, I went by dates that were important not only to the underground but ones that affected him.” She stands and says, “I believe this really was something from him.” The lack of stutter surprised you, and you look back down at the multiple dates.  
They were written kind of strange, but you don’t question it.   
“Well, where is the box?” you asked. She sighed, “I had S-Sans leave it here yesterday, in case I found anything w-worth trying.” she walks over to a shelf, and you see what’s on top. There was, obviously, the box. There also stood action figures from Anime and even a couple books stacked up.   
Is she into Anime? I’d watched a couple, but never watched it religiously or anything.   
You escape your thoughts as she places the box in between the both of you.  
You set the paper down, and begin punching in numbers the best you could.  
The keypad had been set up like that of a phone. You’d tried at least ten out of fifteen at that point. Alphys explained each one, whether it be his first working machine, the CORE’s completed product, or the day the monsters were trapped underground.  
None of them worked, which brought the both of your spirits down.  
“Maybe it isn’t a date to do with the doctor then?” you say, and she nods. “But, what date would w-warrant the use of a c-code?” You recalled asking yourself that question before.  
She lets out a sigh, and you both hear footsteps coming down. You hand Alphys back the sheet of paper, and she crumples it and throws it into her trash.  
“alright, well, since the two of you are down here playin’ the ‘lets keep sans in the dark’ game, i’m gonna head back and get some shut-eye,” Sans announces. You felt even more guilty at his words. “I-It’s not anything that crazy. We just thought that maybe the code was a date of sorts,” you explain. You knew it wouldn’t hurt to tell him that much.  
He quirks a nonexistent eyebrow.   
“well, any luck?” he asks, and Alphys gives him a small shake of her head.  
“well, tell me when ya do,” he says, you spin around. “Are you still leaving?” he walks forward with a nod. “Well...” you turn the rest of your body and give him a small smile. “...take care of yourself, Sans.” He seemed sheepish after you said that so genuinely. “yeah... heh.” he says. “you too hun.”  
He teleports out of the building in the blink of an eye. You were biting the inside of your mouth again. It was a nasty habit you’d recently picked up, and for some reason, you couldn’t stop it.   
“D-Do you...?” Alphys starts her sentence but trails off before she finishes. You turn to face her. “Do I what?” at that, she just returns to what she was doing. “N-Nothing~” you weren’t sure what she was referring to, but you don’t bother questioning it any further.

That night, what was to be your last night there, you were fiddling with the box on the couch you’d been sleeping on. You had that same machine hooked up to you, sending some slight discomfort to the sides of your head.   
You kept running through your head about what kind of date would be used in the code. You were even questioning whether or not it was even a date at all.  
And if there was a date, who would it apply to? Papyrus?  
But, just because he’s the one that told you, doesn’t mean it correlated to him.  
Alphys had said that the box arrived the day you’d fallen. So, maybe that date?  
You try it...  
Nothing.

You groan, unsure of what to do. You knew you couldn’t leave until you had figured this out, as it would wrack your brain until the very end. Then a thought occurs.   
Could it be a day directly from me?  
The thought sounded silly, but it at the same time made sense. papyrus had mentioned that the answers YOU were looking for would be inside. So, why not?  
It wouldn’t hurt to try, you thought to yourself.  
You thought about important days throughout your life.   
“07...07...07”  
Nothing.  
You never realized that you didn’t have very many important moments in your life. You knew it was kind of sad.  
“What about, 02...23...14?”  
Still Nothing.  
You scanned your mind for days that would be beneficial in this situation.   
It clicked, and you felt stupid for forgetting.  
“05...09...94”  
*Click*   
Your eyes widened.   
“No... There’s no way...” you sat up, almost ripping the wires off of you. The top had opened. You were baffled.   
That had to be a coincidence, you thought, There is no way the day I was born is the code... right? This has to be a dream as well!  
But, as you opened the rest of the lid, you knew that this was real. You then proceeded to look inside...


	16. When the Rubber Hits the Road...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys ready for sooooommmmmeeeee...
> 
> Midnight Story-Time?
> 
> Sorry that I didn't update a bit earlier I know some of you were waiting for a while. I had a personal thing come up and it delayed me hardcore. But I'm here now!
> 
> This chapter MIGHT be a tad bit shorter than the others, and for that, I apologize. It felt right to end it where I did, so I did it this way.   
> Okay!  
> ENJOY!!!!!!

You pull out the paper that appeared to be rolled up like a scroll. Putting the now useless box aside, you unravel the scroll and see a bunch of symbols. You couldn’t understand them at all. What with fingers pointing in all kinds of directions, smiley faces... it was all greek to you.  
After coming out of the trance you’d just put yourself in from actually guessing the code, you came back to reality.  
“I need to tell Alphys,” you mumbled to yourself. You stood up, then began to walk out of the room. “Alphys!” you shouted for her. You were stumbling around like an idiot, but you had to tell her about your discovery!  
“Alphys!” She wasn’t responding, so you thought that she might be asleep. “Where would she sleep?” you had begun to think out loud in your fit of excitement.  
You make your way down the turned off escalators. “Shit!” you curse, almost tripping down. When you do make it down, you found Alphys asleep at her desk.  
“She must have fallen asleep waiting for me.” you mentally facepalm as you continue to think aloud.  
You trudge over there, and you shake her shoulder softly. You’d have hated to scare her out of sleep or anything. Her eyes flutter open, and you wait patiently as she gathers herself. Though, your excitement was getting the better of you. You put the scroll in front of her, and she opens her eyes all the way. “H-Huh? W-What is going o-”

“I did it.” you knew you should probably calm down, but you’d never felt more proud of yourself in so long! It was like a high!  
“D-Did what?” she asks, and she faces toward the scroll. “That’s what was inside the box.” you took deep breaths in and out to calm yourself. Her eyes widen. “Y-You figured out the code?! W-What w-was it?!” she shoots out of her seat, looking as excited as you were.   
“M-My birthday.” At that, she seemed baffled. Probably as baffled as you were. 

“A question for later. I found the scroll inside, but I don’t understand it whatsoever.” she unravels the scroll, just as you had. As soon as she was able to process the symbols, her eyes widened for the third time for tonight.  
“I-I know this! D-Dr. Gaster had used this when writing sometimes! I-I was t-taught how to so many y-years ago...” she looks at it in confusion. “I-I don’t remember it by heart, b-but I’m sure I-I have it written down somewhere a-around here!”  
You were so surprised how well you and Alphys worked together when you put your minds to it. And it had definitely made you so much more comfortable with her.   
“Should we... do that now?” you asked. Deep down, you wanted to so badly. But, she might be too tired. In fact, you were probably too tired. But, the sudden rush from your discovery was enough to keep you up.  
You’d finally gotten somewhere with that stupid box, and you could feel how close the answers were!  
“O-Of course! There’s no w-way I can sleep now!” a smile is then slapped onto your face, and you follow her down the steps.

When you arrive at the second level, you follow close behind her. You’d passed several broken screens, only a few still decent, You also passed some strange rooms such as a room full of beds with tons of bedding.  
A thought occurred to you at that sight, So that’s where all the bedding from the Inn went...  
Passing in through a hallway, up ahead you could see a giant machine. One that wasn’t too friendly looking.   
The thing made you want to cower away, or even just go back upstairs. But, you remind yourself why you were down there in the first place, and that’s enough to let yourself keep going.  
You make your way into a room with a large screen. The room wasn’t as large as most of the others in the facility, but there were bookshelves in almost every corner.   
“A-After the incident with the h-human a while back, Sans and I thought i-it to be b-best if we kept all the old research and such that w-we could find right here,” she explains to you.  
You were mesmerized by the number of books, VHS tapes, papers... It was something you’d wished you’d known about before-hand.  
Alphys had already gotten busy searching through stacks of papers, some separated by paperclips, others loosely lying around.   
“So, did Gaster mentor you or something?” you asked, tracing your fingers over the books on the shelves. You rub your fingers afterward, realizing how much dust was caked on them.   
“O-Oh... well, s-sort of.” she explains, “He only taught me a thing or two before -his fatal a-accident...” she seemed saddened by this. You don’t question further on the topic, not wanting to make the poor dinosaur uncomfortable.  
“A-Asgore took at least a couple decades before finally choosing the next royal scientist. U-Unfortunately, that was m-me.”   
You remembered Alphys mentioning that Asgore and Gaster used to be fairly close. Clearly, the monsters have been through far too much loss and desperation.  
Of course, the feeling was familiar to you, but it most definitely wasn’t as strong as theirs.

“A-Aha! I found it!” she says, raising up a single page. You walk over, careful not to trip over any books. It reminded you of that home you’d found in the Ruins.  
You shake the memory away as soon as it comes through. There were so many symbols, numbers, and letters combined, it was a little confusing to you.  
But, clearly, it made perfect sense to Alphys, as she asked you to hold open the scroll.  
You do so and watched intently as she decoded it, only mumbling certain letters every now and then.   
“D-Done!” she had the words written down on the same page, and you shut the scroll and stuff it into your pocket. You lean over, reading the message aloud; “Right back corner, fourth shelf down, A94”  
It goes dead silent.   
This is a location. On a shelf, your thoughts intercept, In here?

You back up against the door you’d come from, and inspect the room carefully, Alphys watched silently. You go to the shelves that stood in the back right corner of the room. Your fingers trace down to the fourth shelf. It was the last one that had caught your tongue.   
A94? Like... 1994?  
Of course, your birth year. But what did the ‘A’ stand for? You go over each book individually, reading each spine carefully. You even had to wipe the dust off of a few. The lettering and numbers had been jumbled.  
“These haven’t been put in correctly... of course,” you grumble aloud.

C15  
J08  
Z22  
A65  
M01  
A94...!

You swiftly pull it out and bring it over to Alphys. “I hope this is the last scavenger hunt he has us go on because I’m getting a little any now,” you admit, and Alphys sighs, nodding in agreement. She opens the book up from a random page to get an idea of what this was about exactly.  
“C-Communication with the Dead...”   
another page,  
“The Gift o-of L-Life..”  
and another....“H-Healing...”  
Alphys looks up at you, and you notice instructions on most of the pages she’d skimmed through.  
“It a-appears to be a guide for a v-very advanced level of magic...” she spoke formally about it, but you both knew what it was.

“The Power of the Angel.” you blurt aloud, almost speechless. The reality of the situation hit you like a ton of bricks at your face. “This... this can’t be right.” Was this what you wanted? So much burden, and you hadn’t even been asked to do anything.  
You were what monsters had been hoping and praying for! What humanity could only wish they had!  
“W-We should inform S-Sans... immediately.” she shuts the book softly, and hands it back to you. “N-N-Now?!” your brain went into a sense of panic.   
It had just been overloaded, and you weren’t mentally prepared for anymore emotions or drastic information. She is quick to grab your palm, dragging you back upstairs.   
When you’re both upstairs, you watch in shock as she picks up the phone.   
Impossible... that’s what it should have been. Yet here I am, being told that I could hold one of the biggest burdens in the entire universe. No, being told that you DID hold one of the biggest burdens in the universe!  
You sat yourself down in Alphys’ desk chair, feeling light headed.  
You found yourself staring blankly at the book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! You have no IDEA how much you make my day with your supportive and funny comments! I love seeing your opinions and reactions!  
> So, don't forget to comment, bookmark, and of course... Bark like a do-  
> I mean kudos!  
> Leave... kudos... :|
> 
> Anyway~  
> As I said I always appreciate the support!  
> And remember, you signed the contract...
> 
> Take care, you guys! :)


	17. How Far are you Willing to Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T_T Another short one.  
> Terrible!  
> THE HORRORRRRR!!!
> 
> Anyways, the book will end exactly in chapter 25 (thank god I don't gotta change the __of__) and it's almost at 20 now!
> 
> I haven't written 24 and 25 just yet, hopefully, I can get on that today though!  
> Enjoy!

Sans hadn’t answered the phone for the first four phone calls. Alphys had said she’d try once more before giving up for a little while. Though, you weren’t sure how long ‘a little while’ would last. But, when he does answer and teleport here, alphys starts explaining everything to Sans. From the box to Papyrus and what it all meant. You’d watched from afar. His expressions had been mixed from shocked to worried to saddened.  
And afterward, you could feel all the tension that had risen into the air.  
It was thick, and everyone stood there. All of you more silent than ever before.  
“i...” he had begun to try and say something. You knew it was probably nothing to him that you were what you were. You knew why he was speechless. Why he looked like he could just collapse at any moment.  
You stood up, holding your head and then proceeding to rub your eyes.  
Sans looked at you. The mixture of hope and sadness was heartbreaking. “I-I’m going to go back to my room.” Alphys whispers, and leaves.  
Sans immediately backs up to a wall, then slides down to a point where his knees hit his rib cage.  
His breath was shaken, you could see it from where you stood, practically across the room. “I’m so sorry.” was all you could muster to say. And even then, it was hoarse and slightly broken.  
He puts his head in his hands. “for what...?” his voice was about the same as yours, sending a small shiver down your spine. You couldn’t respond. Not only had you hurt your friend today, but you’d discovered that you were what all of monster-kind was relying on. And for some reason, you were afraid.  
Before, you’d thought it to be some sort of silly puzzle that could be solved, but now... the reality of the situation hit you hard. It had to be the same for Sans, right? To realize that you’d been casually talking to his dead brother through your dreams... You walk over slowly toward him, almost like a stumble. You’d been walking around the lab so much tonight that your leg had a slight soreness to it. You sat down against the same wall as him, giving him some space as well.  
I got too close too soon, haven’t I? And now, I let my absurd burdens and secrets from the underground hit him as well. Wasn’t this supposed to feel good? To have gotten something off my chest? It feels horrible.

“how long...?” he asks finally. You lean your aching head against your knees. “It was the night when you’d found me at Grillby’s.” Usually, in uncomfortable situations like this one, you’d have been a stuttering mess. But, this was different. The look in his eyes... that pain of his past... it all made you feel like the scum of the earth. You had refused many years ago that you’d always try your best to do good by others. But, they were getting the best of you, weren’t they? You’d just been confirmed you were one of the strongest people out there, but you didn’t feel strong at all. How misleading...  
You hear shuffling, but you don’t raise your head. The soft pains in your head were enough to stop you from doing so. Your eyes widen as the feeling of something on your shoulder catches you off guard. You look up, whipping your head around to see his skull laying on you. He looked distant. You’d messed up. You’d messed up so bad that you’d upset him for real this time. So, why was he doing this?  
Why was he acting like you were the comfort he needed? Was it because of what you’d both learned about yourself? No, that couldn’t be. You, very slowly, leaned back against the wall. The slight thumping in your head was dull but noticeable. “is it... is it really him?” he said, the cracks in his voice apparent. You leaned your head against him as softly as possible. What were you to say to that? You couldn’t give him a definite answer, as you weren’t sure yourself. But, after reading from that book from the library, the percentage of it being so had increased.  
“Maybe...” you respond. It was the best you could give him without avoiding the question entirely. His skull turns to a point where his forehead was leaned against me, and his eyes were shut. At that, you took a moment to take in everything you could. He didn’t look or smell intoxicated anymore, and you were grateful for that. His breathing could be felt as his body raised and lowered every few seconds against yours. And for a moment, you could feel his soul. Maybe not literally, but you could feel the emotion in it. It gave you... what had it gave you?  
Just looking down at him, feeling the emotion in his soul... it had given you... hope.  
A new hope, that was.  
You shut your own eyes, taking it in with a deep and heavy sigh...  
You could feel yourself dozing off. It was inevitable considering your lack of sleep from tonight. But, just as you were going to fall into a deep sleep, he spoke again;  
“how far are ya willin’ to go?” the question itself hung over you again.  
You remember that question. It was one that, before, had only been used in the context of a physical distance. A small smirk reached your face. “Depends.” As soon as your response rolled off your tongue all the way, a soft chuckle escaped him. “on what?” he responded. You took a deep breath in... then exhaled out. “On whether or not it’s truly worth it.”

Frisk's POV (3rd)

They had a soft smile plastered on their face as they watched the sunrise. They’d always found them enjoyable. Though, who wouldn’t find such an amazing sight enjoyable? The quaint little home that perfectly captured the sun in all it’s early glory was all you could as for now. The cool refreshing breeze that blew by and the colorful array of flowers that were strewn across the fields. It was a sight to remember.  
The only thing that bugged them at this point? Who they could be enjoying it with. They knew what had happened in the underground was in the past, and they were unable to RESET now that they were on the surface. There wasn’t enough magical energy running through the air for her to be able to gain access to it. But, it wasn’t like he wanted to.  
They had sworn to themselves that after such a terrible mistake that had been made, purely out of curiosity, they’d leave everyone alone. They’d leave Sans alone.  
But, recently, they’d been thinking about the underground more than they had in so long. It was only since the news reports of a missing woman from beyond The Gates. An upper-class rich girl has run away from home, and the society thinks the world is ending.  
But, it made sense to her why people were so obsessed with finding her.  
After all, the family was quite wealthy and was offering a very large amount of money for her. Though, they had thought it to be strange how there were only a few photos that were more recent.  
Apparently, a hiker had found the girl's purse hanging from the same hole that entered the underground. It made her wonder how whoever was left was doing. Was the girl alive? Had she found Sans or Alphys just yet? Though, they knew it wasn’t the healthiest thing to think about it. But, they couldn’t help but wonder...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> ...  
> I feel like a broken record repeating myself but you know what? I don't really care!  
> Thank you guys so so so so so so SO much for all your amazing comments and kudos!  
> If you want to keep up with the story better then make sure to bookmark as well!  
> And remember... I had to re-write half of this because I was using the wrong personal pronouns. >_<


	18. Verrrrrrrryyy Clever...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hue hue hue... ;3
> 
> Enjoy~

The next day, you’d woken up on the floor. Just as you’d fallen asleep on the floor. Sort of...  
You and Sans had both fallen asleep on one another, seeing as both of you were probably exhausted out of your minds. You had been the first to wake up, besides Alphys who had been working at her desk when you checked.  
Your leg no longer ached, and it seemed like the wound itself wasn’t getting any worse. It had actually been healing better than anticipated.   
When you finally stood up, you were careful to make sure you didn’t hurt Sans or even just wake him up for that matter. You felt well rested, and the shock had worn away a significant amount.   
Overall, things were getting a little better with just a good nights sleep.  
Once you’d eaten something, and woken up properly, Alphys said she wanted to do some of her own research back down in the ‘basement’.   
So, you sat at her desk and had sat there. You mainly watched Sans sleeping. You weren’t trying to be creepy, of course! You were only looking at him because you kept running his words and actions through your head last night.  
You listened to his soft snores and the grumbles he would make every now and then. You look away as your soul throbs again.   
“I’ll have to talk to Alphys a-about that...” you whisper to yourself. Though, your one-sided conversation ends when Alphys accidentally drops something upstairs, causing Sans to snap awake and look around frantically.  
It was almost funny how it had played out, and it got a soft chuckle as a reaction. “You okay Alphys?” you ask, standing up and walking over to Sans to make sure he was okay.   
“Y-Y-Yes! I’m okay!” you hear some mumbling afterward but you can’t understand any of it.   
“What about you?” you ask, giving him a sincere smile. He blinks a few times, almost dazed as he looks up at you from the floor. “y-yeah... i’m good.” You hold your hand out to help him up, and he takes it. “ugh, didn’t mean to fall asleep on ya. sorry ‘bout that.” he says. You sit back down in at the desk.

“Nah, you’re fine. I’m not even sure if you were the one to fall asleep first or not,” you say, and he gives you that usual permanent grin. You twirl around in the chair a few times before stopping as you see Sans inspecting A94.  
“this that book ya found?” he asks, and you nod to him in response. He opens it, the dust going out into the air. This causes sans to swat all the particles away in disgust. “so, ya gonna try and learn it... angel?” he asks. For some reason, that name got you flustered, and you wished you had that hoodie of his to hide your face in.   
“U-Uh... I mean, I suppose s-so.” you shrugged, trying to ignore the nickname. You knew that there was no way in hell you could legitimately be an Angel and that the name was just as metaphor or reference.  
“well... ya wanna start now...?” he asks you. Your brows furrow slightly. “Now? But, all I have is a book to read to give me instructions.” He waves that excuse off immediately. “well, ya got alphys and i as well. not like were clueless about the basics, yeah?” He explains to you. He’d made a valid point, and you accept in return. You’d never thought that you would have found yourself in this situation just a week or two ago. So, when Alphys comes down again, the three of you make your way toward Waterfall.  
“waterfall will be a bit better for you to practice in considering it’s too hot here.” sans explains on the way there, and Alphys nods in agreement. “Y-Yeah. For now, we want you t-to stay in y-your c-comfort zone.” The rest of the walk only consisted of small talk, mainly between Sans and Alphys. Every now and then they would try to include you in the conversation, but you weren’t much for it at the moment. You’d lose yourself in thought, for the most part, watching the water flow and the breeze blow by. It would have been another calming moment if it weren’t for the recent events having jumbled up your mind.  
“I-I think this would be a good s-spot to try this out in. I-Its got p-plenty of room.” Alphys says, and we all silently agree. You weren’t sure what to expect as Alphys sat up against the wall and opened the book to the first page, and Sans waited for you to walk toward him. His eyes held expectancy by doing so. 

You walk over to him and he gives you a soft smile. “A-Alright. Let’s start small.” Alphys says, and you both turn to her. “By the l-looks of it, the easiest skill i-in here is...” She skims through one last time and says, “...Healing.” Sans makes a small wave gesture. “see? we got this.” it makes you respond with a small smile. Alphys stands once more and walks over the both of you. “I-It says here that it’s like any M-Monsters magic, but it requires a higher level of power a-and c-concentration.” At that, he nods. “okay, so neither of us actually use healing very much because... it isn’t our strong suit.” he says to you, “but we understand it enough to help.” At the end of his sentence, you only had one issue with trying this.  
“But, no one is hurt. What is there to heal?” Sans then points to your leg. Your brows furrowed. “B-But can I even heal myself? Or is it just others?” Sans shrugs, and Alphys scans the page for more info. “She i-is right. Her h-healing is only able to be t-transmitted to others.” At this, you’re all three left with a moment to ponder.   
“well, i think we’re thinking too big right now then. it doesn’t need to be a monster or human. it can be any living thing.” he explains. Your thoughts run through this thought.   
“S-So like small animals or pla-”  
“Flowers.” you blurt out. They look to you. “There are plenty of flowers in the underground. From echo flowers to those yellow ones from the Ruins.” then another thought occurred to you.

There was that house not too far from here that had the wilting flowers. Would that be disrespectful to even suggest such a thing? I don’t think it would be, considering you are just renewing the flowers.  
“A-And... I think I-I know where some wilting ones are...” 

At that, you attempted to explain what you’d seen at that pink house. “O-Oh...” Alphys stuttered sadly. “I-I’d hate to mess with it or anything! We could just find some other a-and then-”  
“No, it’s a-alright. I think he would a-appreciate it if you could r-revive them.” she gives you a small smile.   
You look to Sans, and he gives a small nod. “i already know where that is, so i’ll just...” he doesn’t finish his sentence. He merely stands up and grabs both of our arms before we’re at the set of homes. The immediate thing that had come to your memory was the wind chime. It still rang throughout the area. You look to the memorial and see the same thing you’d seen last time.   
The pictures, the flowers...  
The urn.

Oh dear...

The both of them walk up to it, and you follow from behind them. Although, you were soon put up ahead because it was the whole reason you were there anyway. You keep your eyes focused on the flowers as you kneel down in front of it. Sans crouches up next to you. “okay, so because they’re already out of the ground, they won’t last very long either way. but, it’s a start.” he had begun to explain things, “now, of course, ya gotta hold your hands up toward the flowers.”   
You look to them, and raises your hands up, your palms facing away from you.

“alright, good. now, here comes the tricky part,” he spoke softly to you, almost in a whisper. You were blushing at his voice, but you knew you couldn’t get distracted at this moment. “i want you to concentrate all your energy on those flowers. you want to save these flowers. like your life depends on it. focus your mind, body, and soul.” and so, you did. Or, you tried really. In fact, you tried about ten times. At that point, you were just a little frustrated. Sans kept repeating stuff to you, which didn’t help.   
“alright, let’s try again. remember-”  
“Sans I swear if you tell me to concentrate one more time I’m going to pick up a stick and beat you with it.” your anger was apparent and your hands were still up, facing the flowers. Though, your gaze was set on him.  
“jeesh, this is the thanks i get?” he shrugs. You sigh and let your hands down. “I’m sorry... It’s just i’m tired of sitting like this for an hour and getting nowhere.” You can hear the pages flipping in the background from Alphys. Then, she walks up from behind us and whispers something in his ear. Or... how could you substitute ear in this situation?

Doesn’t matter.

When she pulls away and backs up, he looks at the flowers with an odd expression on. Then to you. “i... i don’t know.” he spoke to alphys. You were very much so confused. Sans stood up, whispering to Alphys back. At this point, they were having a full blown conversation behind your back. Figuratively and literally.  
It gave you a weird feeling in your stomach, so you tried again to un-wilt the flowers.  
Come on... just bloom back please...! You thought. When you realize that the whispering went away, you feel something- no, someone against your back. “here, try holding your hands closer the flower.” sans whispers in your ear, moving your hands from around you. Your cheeks might as well have been tomatoes, and you felt your soul just melt then and there. You hadn’t been expecting him to straight up hold you as you did this. “U-Uh...!” That was your attempt at a protest. Clearly, you’d lost this round.

Sans whispers, “yeah, just like that-”   
Your soul couldn’t handle it. Hell, you couldn’t handle it! A strange surge of light erupts from your hands as the feeling courses through your veins. Your eyes widened, and when you pulled away instinctively, the flowers looked like they were freshly picked. Sans stood up, letting you back away in shock. “well what do ya know? it worked.” you hear, which immediately brings you back. You turned to look at the both of them. It wasn’t the most pleasant look, but it was a look.   
“I need a break.” you stand to your feet, dusting off your shorts which were probably filthy at this point. “Actually, I need a shower... and some more clothes,” you admit but in a mumble.  
“A-Actually I think she’s right a-about both of those.” Alphys agrees.

So, with one teleportation back, you let Alphys show you to her bathroom, and she told you she’d find something for you to wear while she washed your clothes. Of course, you thanked her. And when you were left alone, you let out a big sigh, almost clutching at your chest.  
They’d used your emotions to help release the energy. How clever. You undressed and let yourself into the shower without any more thoughts to halt you.  
Alphys returned almost immediately while you were in the shower, so she lied the set of clothes on the counter and left once more.


	19. Hope, Honesty, and Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is ALSO kind of short, but hopefully, for what it is, it makes up for that ^_^;  
> Working on the last chapters now! Super excited!!  
> Also, you guys really liked the fluff that I included in the last one...  
> TIME FOR IT ALL TO COME CRASHING DOWWWWWN.  
> *Clears throat*  
> I mean...  
> Enjoy~

From that point forward, every day the three of you went to that open spot with something to assist in your ‘training’, as they called it. You still were amazed that everything was true. But, now that you’d solved this whole ‘Angel’ thing. That only left you with more questions.  
What does this mean for afterward? Would you be able to break the barrier? And what were you to do about those dreams you had? You’d never had precognitive dreams like that, and the ones with Papyrus in them? Could you even clarify those ones as dreams? You had an actual conversation with Sans’ dead brother!  
This was all becoming too much, and you needed to figure things out. For the time being, Sans and Alphys were off doing their own thing. But, you wanted to figure some of your own stuff out. So, you’d snatched up A94 and now you were on your own in that open area.  
You read in silence, for the most part. Every now and then, a monster would pass by the room. But, rarely at that.

At this point, you were pretty familiar with healing. After that burst of energy, it came to you a bit easier. As if that surge of emotion had burst through a bubble that was keeping it all captive.  
Of course, you still felt salty after how they went about it, but you weren’t angry. Your focus was mainly on the pages about The Realm of the Dead. It was an afterlife place for those who were wrongfully killed. Or, in other words, died before it was their time.  
It says that I could also cross over to see those who had died at their time, but you weren’t sure if you’d really need to do that.  
You wanted to cross over, talk to Papyrus and any other monsters that may have died, and see if you could revive them.  
After all, that was your job, right? That’s is exactly what both books claimed-- besides breaking the barrier --so it must be what you were supposed to do.

And you made that your goal. 

“figured i’d find ya here.” You look up to Sans, phalanges in his pockets. “Oh, Hey,” you say. He walks over and sits down beside you. You look back down to your page, still observing the words carefully. “it buggin’ ya still too?” he asks. The word ‘too’ is what really got your attention.  
Of course, it’s bugging him, you thought, You were talking to Papyrus and he’s his brother.  
You nod, letting your head rest up against your knuckles.  
He looked to be reading the book over with you. “ya think ya gonna try it?” That question made you think more.

Would I? Would I have done it on my own without Alphys or Sans? Well, now that Sans was here the chances of me agreeing to that got higher. 

“Yeah, maybe,” you say. looking over at him. He doesn’t give another response in turn. So you start again, “He must have been pretty special, huh?” With anyone else, you would have never asked such questions. It would have ruined what you felt would be everything. But, Sans was easy to talk to. He understood a lot more than most. He looks over at you as well. “heh.” he says, “yeah. yeah, he really was.” The expression on his face, it was saddened. In a way, you’d felt guilty for bringing it up. But, after your time here in the underground, you came to understand that talking about it made some people feel better.

“I know the feeling. Of losing someone, I mean.” And you might just be one of those people. But, you weren’t trying to talk about you, No. You were trying to get him to understand that you’d understand anything he had told you. If he chose to tell you anything, that is.  
You’d never wanted to get to know a person more than you did Sans. Though, that could just be your soul talking. Which, you still hadn’t asked Alphys about.  
“it's hard. especially when they’re probably the nicest person anyone had ever met.” You were surprised he’d actually started talking about it, but you didn’t show it on your face.

“paps was... he was all i had left. he was one hell of a brother, that's for sure.” he chuckled at his own comment. “I could tell,” you say, he looks to you. “I mean, that was the most cheerful dead person I’d ever met.” at that Sans laughs a little. “heh, i can see that. he always had such high hopes...” He was frowning now. His skull landed on my shoulder, reminding you of the night you’d informed him about everything.  
“you ain’t gotta do this ya know,” he says suddenly, causing you to look down to him. “Do what?” you asked. He brings his skull back up to look to you as well. His eyes were... Lonely.  
You hadn’t seen someone more lonely than you until the day you’d met Sans, you realize this. HIs lonely eyes, while saddened you, gave you hope.

Hope that you could do this. That you could prove you were useful to someone.  
“any of this. the magic, the barrier, papyrus...” You looked at him as if he’d just said the stupidest thing on earth.  
“Well, for one; it’s my job as ‘The Angel’ or whatever.” You used air quotes. “But, I’m mainly doing this because... because I feel that its a way to redeem what human-kind has done to you all. I want to do this,” you explained, and for once, Sans was an open book.  
His face told me he was shocked and his hand was gripping the black tank top Alphys had supplied you for the time being. He looked like... he had hope.  
No, wait. he may have had hope. But really, he had...

HOPE.

He sat up, still looking to you. His hand was now clutching at his hoodie.  
He put his hand on the outline of your cheek, and your soul throbbed. What was he doing?  
You could feel stuck in the moment, staring only at his face right in front of you. Were you leaning in? Was he leaning in?!  
You didn’t want to stop though. You wanted to let it happen.  
But one thing held you back...  
One thing that you’d always think about in the back of your head when your soul funded for him like it was...  
“I can’t do this,” you whispered, and you pulled away carefully. His hand never left your face, and he looked kind of hurt. “w-what?” You wanted to cry at your stupid brain for remembering your life on the surface at this point in time.  
“I-I... I’m...” he’d told you his feelings. Now it was your turn.  
“I want to. I really do want to but it’s impossible Sans.” Your eyes water, but you refused to cry now. Not after everything had been going so well. Not after you’d gone through so much without doing so.  
This of all things was not going to be the reason you cried. “i-is it because i’m a monster-”  
“GOD no!” you waved your hands, immediately shooting down that thought of his. “It’s... because I have a fiancé...” you trailed off, looking away.  
“It’s a marriage that... I-I can’t get out of, Sans.” You close the book and immediately Stand up. “I-I’m so s-sorry.” You left, unable to hold back a few of your tears.  
You’d almost kissed Sans. You covered your face with your hands, sobbing as you made your way back to Alphys’ lab...

Sans' POV (3rd)

“I can’t do this.” her whisper broke his trance over her. He’d opened his eyes, and a million thoughts ran through his head.  
Did she not feel the same way?  
Maybe she hasn’t kissed anyone before?  
Did she not want me because of what I am?  
It hurt him that one of those had to be correct. “w-what?” he had stuttered. He wasn’t used to kissing anyone either, that was for sure. But, he wouldn’t have stopped mid-way through it... right?  
“I-I... I’m...” he’d felt that strange feeling in his soul. It was like a human heartbeat. It only happened at certain points around her, and he immediately knew what it meant. Of course, he’d denied the feeling most of the time. But she’d just struck a chord with him right then. He felt it harder than ever before. Harder than at the lab, than the first time in front of his fireplace...  
His soul wanted hers... He wanted her...  
But here she was, saying he couldn’t have her. She looked scared.  
“I want to. I really do want to but it’s impossible, Sans.” His soul felt like it could shatter right then and there.  
How could he have been so stupid? To think that a human girl would put away the fact that he was a monster. That hit him hard, and it had him ask, “is it because i’m a monster-”  
He was cut off. “God No!”  
A relief washed over him, but the hurt was still there. “It’s...” he was practically holding his breath. “It’s because I have a fiancé...” His soul dropped and dimmed.  
A fiancé... of course. She was taken. Already had someone else on the surface.  
He wanted to... he wanted to scream in frustration. On his own time, of course. But it was there. The feeling of hurt was one he hadn’t truly felt since Papyrus...  
Since that murderer got him before he could.  
And now, he’d allowed it to happen again in a different form.  
He could see that she didn’t like her situation either though. It was in her eyes. It showed like never before.  
“It’s a marriage that... I-I can’t get out of Sans.” the tears that welled up in his eyes hurt him more than her denying him. She was upset. In any other situation, you’d have been there to comfort her. Tell her everything was going to be okay.  
She said, “I-I’m so s-sorry...” she had already stood up and had left the room.  
fiancé  
fiancé  
fiancé...

Godammit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand there goes that huh? I was very anxious about putting this chapter up because I wanted to put a lot of emotion into how Sans felt, but at the same time not overdo it. Very very VERY frustrating ^_^;  
> Anyways, if you like the story and wanna see more, make sure to drop a kudos and/or a bookmark.  
> I always love seeing your comments (duh) so make sure to comment to your heart's content! I try to respond to some of them, but I don't always have a response so don't feel bad or anything if I don't respond.  
> And remember, Anime's real, right?!?!


	20. The CORE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!   
> Chapter Twenty!!! YAY!!!  
> Things are gonna get pretty serious here soon!  
> I know I had something else I wanted to say but I can't remember for the life of me.
> 
> Enjoy~!!!

“Y-You almost did w-what?!” Alphys was comforting you as best as possible. You had tried to stay hidden away, but you had no other way of getting inside without her help. “I-I almost kissed him! I-I just couldn’t control m-myself and he was leaning in and...” you wanted to scream your emotions out into a pillow. “W-Well why d-didn’t you?! If you like him and he likes y-you!” You groan. “I have an arranged marriage on the surface! A-And besides! Even if I were t-to stay down here, by the t-time I break the barrier they will know I-It was me and I’ll h-have no choice and I-”

“Nicole! Breath!” she interrupts you, causing you to take in deep breaths to calm yourself. As you do that, your heart rate slows down a bit. “Y-You’re engaged?” she asks calmly, and you only nod. Alphys takes a few breaths as well before sighing. “L-Look, maybe you just need something to distract you f-for the time b-being.   
Y-Yeah?” she says, clasping her hand with yours in comfort. You nod, sniffling from your small outburst of tears that had now stopped.  
That’s exactly what you needed. A distraction.

You didn’t have time to dwell on this, and you needed to keep practicing your magic anyway.  
“Yeah! O-Okay, so help me s-solve this issue I’m having at the CORE, d-does that sound good?” she says, picking up a bag. You weren’t sure if this was a way to distract you, a way to convince you to assist her, or both...  
Probably both. You nod, and Alphys hands you your own backpack with the books inside just in case. “A-Alright. So, there is an e-elevator just outside of here-”  
“Whoa whoa whoa... another elevator?” Alphys is immediately quick to reassure you, “O-Oh! Trust me! This o-one is better-taken c-care of! Since it’s to the C-CORE, I make sure that I take very good care o-of it!” You let out a sigh of relief and follow her back outside. As she fumbles with the buttons, you look at the newly repaired bridge. It wasn’t made from the crappy stuff from before. Instead, it was made with a type of wiring that was a lot stronger and was stuck in the ground better than anything.  
“Alright, l-lets go.” As soon as she says that, you walk into the elevator with her. The door shuts, and you hold the sides tighter than ever. You’d had a lot of shit happen to you over the span of three weeks. With almost falling into a pit of lava, almost falling from a giant hole and killing yourself... almost... falling in... an..... elevator...  
Okay, you’d fallen a lot in your time here.  
Does that make you a fallen Angel? You mentally snicker at yourself for that dumb joke. You knew it was bad, but you needed some light in your life right about now.

The elevator opens once more at a different level. An open one at that. It was still outside of any buildings, and we appeared to be on the top floor. “O-Okay, this w-way.” she leads you ahead a little bit, reaching a tall platform with part of-- what you assumed was --the CORE.   
There was some sort of panel standing there and Alphys approaches it.   
You follow close behind as usual.  
“So what’s the issue?” You look around you at the several platforms that surrounded the bigger one. “W-Well, you see, I have this p-panel that informs me on the CORE’s well-being. So if it’s over-heating, I can cool it down. Or, i-if there is something broken, I can f-fix it.” she explains, “So this morning, I got an alert that something is wrong with the CORE. S-Something so small it seemed at first. But, then a-again... the smallest thing c-can turn into the biggest problem.”   
She seemed so uncertain.  
“It was the same as it has always been for about a month or two now. I-It said that there is an insufficient amount of fuel.”  
You look to her confused, “That’s a small problem?” It seemed like it should be something big.  
“I have p-plenty of energy in general f-for it to run, and it’s easy to make... so overtime I g-go to check. But it’s almost a-aways full!” she says.  
“O-Or at least nowhere near losing t-t-technological energy.”   
You pondered this. “Well, couldn’t it just be that something is wrong with the panel itself? Like there is nothing wrong with the CORE and instead, this is giving false alarms?” She shook her head. “We a-already checked if that was the case. But nothing w-was wrong with it either.”   
You’d never been very fond of dealing with mechanical stuff. But, you’d gone to a very wealthy school, so you had the knowledge that might help.  
“Can I see the panel?” you asked. She steps aside and you looked at the screen. 

> Energy < !!!  
> Database <  
> Check Ups <  
> Management <

There were three red exclamation points on the “energy” tab. You click that.  
“So, what exactly is the purpose of the CORE?” you asked, trying to get more information.

[WARNING: Insufficient supply of energy! Please re-fill!]

> Tank <

There was only one option, the tank.   
“Oh! The CORE is what keeps the u-underground running p-properly. Gaster built it using his own m-magic and... well o-of course lots of m-machinery.” she says.  
“Once a year he would use his m-magic t-to refresh it just to make sure it would stay u-up-to-date.”   
Under ‘Tank’ were different percentages.

Weight >> 38%  
Balance >> 90%  
Amount >> 83.3%  
Stability >> 64%

“Why is the stability only 64 percent?” you asked. She looked confused. “Th-That can’t be... when I-I checked it just earlier today, it had b-been at 99.9%! Something is definitely wrong h-here.” she looks at the panel as well. “Well, you’re right about that.” you comment.  
The percentage drops down to 63 as we were watching. “I-Its dropping?!” she seemed panicked. And, she had a reason to.  
“Alright, where is the tank on the CORE?” you asked her. Clearly, the tank itself was the issue here. “I-It’s inside the CORE b-building. We’ll have to go u-up ahead more through the old r-resort.” You nod, and she leads the way.   
The both of you walked past stands, signs, and what-not. But, your main focus was the CORE and its problem. If the CORE fails, everything else goes down with it.  
Meaning food and drink most likely. Considering, you knew food and drink held a magical energy within them. So, if the CORE is unable to supply that energy, then the food is useless.

This had just become more serious than you’d have thought. And, you understood why she had used your meet-up with Sans as the perfect excuse to get you up here.  
Honestly, you don’t blame her for it.  
She walks me through to the point where we’d passed through all the lava areas and finally reached a building. On the front it read; MTT Resort.   
“B-Back before the slaughter, I-I had built a robotic body for my c-close friend,” she explains, walking up to the doors and opening them.  
“She a-always wanted to be a s-star, but she was a ghost and she n-needed a more martial body to be on c-camera.” The place was as run down as that old home you’d seen three weeks ago.  
Dust caked in certain spots, broken down fountain that no longer had water in it, the once lavish rug now nothing but fabric...  
“Was that the robot from the picture at that memorial?” you asked her. She nods solemnly. “She w-was very o-out there. That was her a-and h-her cousin, Nabstablook. Her n-name was Mettaton.” she walked you across the room.   
“This w-was her resort that people loved to stay in and e-eat at.” we walked out of the building as quickly as we’d gotten in. Up ahead were mechanical doors and lights. That must be the CORE.  
“Af monsters must have loved him then to put that memorial out there,” you say softly, and she nods. “C-Come on, we’ll be there s-soon enough.” I follow her ahead, walking through hallways that all looked the same. One could get lost in here.  
We make it to a room that had tons of panels, wires, and lights. Lots of lights.  
She brings you in, and then to the left is another door. “I-In here. B-But be careful! The r-room is a lot warmer, and d-don’t let too m-much energy o-out or else we really w-will have an i-issue with that.” she gives you a brief warning. You tell her you’ll be careful, and you enter the next room. You feel the heat hit you like it had with the cold in Snowdin.   
It was hot as hell. You knew you wouldn’t be able to last longer than an hour in here. But, that had to be plenty of time for you to check things out.  
Now, while you’d never been good with your hands, you knew what you could do if you were.   
It was a perk of being one of the higher-ups on the surface. It didn’t actually matter what class you took as a woman when it came to most academics, it only mattered what men you married. Whether or not they had the money, correct academics, and a good rep.  
That was all. From there you just needed to be able to have kids.  
It was a vicious cycle that you couldn’t get into at the moment.

You were standing on a concrete platform and the giant tank was just down the few steps about a foot away. You walk down those steps and approach the machinery. You see a side door that you could open, and inside were switches, buttons, wires... some of them had labels. But most of the wires did not.  
“H-How is it in th-there?” you jump at the booming voice. You look around, there was no sign of Alphys. At the very top of the wall, you do spot a speaker. 

Oh.

There was a speaker button on the wall, and you press it in. “So far so good,” you say.  
“G-Good.” she stutters, and nothing else was heard.  
You return to the panel of controls but decide against messing with them immediately. Just above it was a touchscreen that was at the height of yourself. You tap it, hoping nothing much would happen. It then turns on and you sigh in relief as nothing drastic occurred.   
It looked like the panel from that platform above the lab.   
Even the front screen. You click where you had been before, and notice something different. And it wasn’t just the drop in stats.

Weight >> 37%  
Balance >> 88%  
Amount >> 82.9%  
Stability >> 59.9%  
M.E. >> -157.5%

Whatever M.E. was, it was at a terribly low rate. That had to be the problem with it. But, if you don’t know what M.E. stands for, how are you suppose to further assist?  
You walk back over to the button and push it in, “Alphys you there?”  
“Yep!” she says. “What does M.E. stand for?” it goes silent for a moment, and you can feel the sweat begin to come down on you. “Um... I-I’m not entirely sure,” she mumbles. “Give me one moment s-so I can f-figure this out.” At that, you leave her be until she gives you an answer.  
You look back at the screen.

It seemed like almost all of the statistics were slowly but surely coming down.   
“A-According to these notes, M.E. stands for...” she stops for only a second. “Magical Energy...”  
Your mind clicks back to something Alphys had said earlier;  
“Once a year he would use his m-magic t-to refresh it just to make sure it would stay u-up-to-date.”   
Shit.  
You feel a slight rumbling from the ground under you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys, I hope you liked chapter twenty! After this chapter, I knew EXACTLY where I was going with this so now I'm up to the last chapter (which I'm working on as you read this).  
> As always, I love to read your opinions, reactions, and thoughts about the story so make sure to comment if you have any you'd like to share! I also enjoy it when you leave kudos, so to those who haven't left a kudo on it, it makes my day when you do!  
> And remember, Sans doesn't tell puns anymore, have you noticed?


	21. Crumbling from Beneath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Down goes the CORE.  
> Also, I remembered what I was gonna say...  
> Holy shit this has over a thousand hits?  
> I mean, I know they're just hits, but still.
> 
> Enjoy!

The rumbles only become longer or louder. And they were separated and sporadic. You closed the panel and left the boiling hot room, sweat rolling down your face. When you reached air conditioning, you were thankful. “What’s happening?!” you asked her. She appeared to be panicking. “The s-stats have just dropped to an u-unstable amount! The CORE is losing the strength to hold itself u-up!!”  
This was bad.  
“Alphys. the reason this is happening because the M.E. was at negative 150! Gaster hasn’t been able to provide his magic to support it, so it’s finally unable to keep itself up!” She seemed flustered at that. Her phone starts ringing, and you pick it up for her.   
“alphys what was-”

“Sans, this is Nicole. I don’t have much time to explain, but the CORE is coming down.” you say as Alphys keeps fumbling with switches and screens. “what?! seriously?!”  
“Yes,” you say. “We’re in the CORE’s panel room.”  
“be right there.” and with that, you hang up.  
You grab Alphys’ shoulder. “Alphys, without Gasters magic there is no keeping this thing up!” The alarms were going off loudly, lights blaring, and sweat all over you.  
“B-But there has to b-be a w-”  
“Alphys...” you give her that look. The look that said ‘We need to leave.’  
Right now, we were in the lowest level of the CORE, right in the center of it all with no emergency exit. She nods and stands, grabbing her bag.   
With yours still on your back, you both hurry out of the panel room. The phone rings, and you pick up. “nicole, i can’t get in. not with my magic.” he says. your eyes widen.  
“W-What?! Why?!”  
“the CORE put up a force field around itself. it won’t allow anything to go in using magic. so i’d have to run over to you and-”  
“Do not come in if you can’t teleport. That’s just adding another person to the mix. We’ll be out soon.” You hang up before you can get another word out of him.   
You both begin to scurry ahead as the lights blare around you. You could see a couple monsters up ahead of the halls, also finding their way out. Alphys was helping to direct you the right way, thank god, or you’d have both been lost!  
By the time you make it to the exit, you hear monsters up ahead. But their voices weren’t getting any farther away. Up at the exit, the door was sealed off, unopened.  
“What kind of design flaw is this?! Why would you seal off the only exit in this situation?!” You say aloud.   
“This was a-all Dr. Gasters doing, not ours!” Alphys says. “There’s a-another way o-out, it’s all the way toward the back th-though!” You nod and backtrack. The hallways were getting louder and more confusing. Even Alphys had to double check where we were every now and then.  
Which, definitely slowed us down a bit.

And it didn’t help that Alphys was smaller, so she was slower altogether. Eventually, you couldn’t take it anymore. Had her hold your backpack, and then hop up on your back. She wasn’t that heavy, but she did add some weight at first.   
Eventually, you used to it.  
It also helped that you could hear her a bit better now.  
“L-Left!” You turned left. “Sharp right!” she says, and you do that too.

You might have heard the phone ringing, but you weren’t entirely sure due to the blaring alarms. You could definitely hear the people behind you. As you make your way across a platform, the ground beneath you shakes harder than it had the last time. This causes you to stop in your tracks, as you almost topple over the edge.   
“Shit shit shit shit!” You had almost gone over the edge with Alphys, but you were just able to get your footing down. You back away from the edge and get the hell out of that room.   
“We’re a-almost to the e-elevator.”  
You groan. “An elevator is going to be hell to get up in this situation! Especially with all the monsters behind us!” you explain to her, running down a long hallway. The ground rumbles again, and you can almost feel the thing tilting.  
“W-We don’t have much of a ch-choice!” she protests. When I reach the end, I discover that the elevator had already fallen. Alphys hops off your back and hands you the bag.   
“O-Oh dear oh dear oh dear-”

“How good are you at climbing?” you asked her. She gives you a pathetic look. You look back, no monsters just yet. That’s good for you two, but deep down you felt bad.  
“Okay, look. We don’t have very long,” you explained to her. “If you stay here, there isn’t any way out that I can help you with. I want you to come with me.” You stick your head through and look up. The actual next level wasn’t that far away. You throw your bag up, and it makes it perfect.   
You look to a nervous and overwhelmed Alphys.

“Alphys, do you trust me?” you asked her, she looked at you confused.   
“I... I do! I tr-trust y-you!” she nods with shake hands. You pick her up like you would a baby strapped to your chest. She probably wasn’t going to like this, and you hope that the chord would hold your weight long enough.  
This was risky as hell. But, it was either die without trying, or die while trying.  
And quite frankly, you had been tired of not trying.

So, leaped out, and Alphys yelped as you went to grab the wire. You successfully gripped on, though you slid down a bit, probably tearing up your palms quite a bit. “O-Oh my gosh! Nicole what the- oh my dear!” she almost hadn’t stuttered at all, which was impressive.  
You climbed up, struggling with such intensity. You look up and hear footsteps from behind the both of you.  
This wire won’t be able to hold a ton of monsters.

You keep climbing, and at one point you almost slipped up. But, you caught yourself just in time. Alphys was a blubbering mess, and you felt the first monster get on the rope.   
Shit.

You pick up the pace, and when you’re close enough for Alphys to reach, you instruct her to climb on your shoulders. She does so, and you kept a firm grip on the chord. Your hands burned and ached, but Alphys hopped up, which thankfully relieved some of the weight.  
But, more monsters were climbing. And you could hear the wire creaking. You look around the small shaft for something to climb on and see some of the bars. You look down one last time before carefully reaching over and grabbing ahold of them instead.   
You, at first, go climbing. Then, you turn around and begin helping the other monsters up. Each one hopping up on your shoulders as Alphys did.  
They weren’t as heavy, so it was much easier.

Eventually, there was only one left, and you heard the snap. And just in time, you grabbed the last one's hand. They were hard to pull up, but you do so, helping them up as well.  
The chord flies downward into the darkness.  
You felt overheated by carrying everyone and running around all day. And the lava from Hotlands was no help whatsoever.  
You were dizzy, but you knew you couldn’t stop now as the shaft shook violently. The place was definitely tilting now.  
You were backtracked from climbing down slightly for the others, and now everyone was holding their hand out for you to help you up. You were shaking from the pain and the heat, but you tried your best to climb up. Every now and then, you’d slip on a bar, almost falling.  
The tilting had begun to bring you further away from the entrance, and you tried so hard to reach the hole. By the time you got up, you were exposed to the lava, no platforms or bridges...

You had to jump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always love your comments and kudos, so don't forget to do that if you want.  
> You can also bookmark this book while it still has chapters to have out to update!   
> I'm going to start working on book two in a little while. When book two does come out, I'll tell you guys through Book one, okay? Okay.  
> And remember, thaaaaaaaaat's politics!


	22. Jumper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oml, I swear I clicked on three completely different chapters before finally finding chapter Twenty-Two.  
> Anyway, I might post a bit slower now that I'm not as caught up as I use to be. So, and this especially goes for book two, don't expect as frequent updates. For the rest of book one, I'll post one chapter a day. 
> 
> EnJoY~!!@($*)@#$)(@*$&

Alphys was shouting your name, everyone's hands out.  
You really were tired of not trying. You’d always let yourself cower around when you were chosen for the brave thing. You were never supposed to be the hero. That has never been your role in life.  
No, you aren’t even the sidekick. You’ve been the watcher. Never took too many risks. Never said what you really felt because of the consequences it might have...  
Never jumped from a moving rail over a lake of lava to a small opening.....

But this fateful day... you had taken the leap.

...

Only to be sucked into a black portal out of nowhere. You had landed somewhere dark. Like, really dark.   
You stood to your feet as quickly as possible and looked around. You were breathing so heavily, and there was so much sweat caked on yourself that it looked like you’d just gotten back from a swim. Back where? That was the question. “Hello there.” you hear, and turn toward the voice.  
There stood...a man. A skeletal figure dressed in a white turtleneck and a black vest.  
You recognized this man...  
“Dr. W.D. Gaster...” you said aloud, making sure the name rolled off your tongue correctly. He nods. “Correct.” you back away.  
“Do not worry, I do not wish to hurt you.” though, either way, you knew it would take some time for you to believe that. “You see, it is very hard for me to get in touch with you from The Void.” You look around a the emptiness. “The... The Void?” He nods. “That is where we are now.”  
You look at him once more, your breathing beginning to slow down now that you weren’t running down slanted hallways and climbing up broken elevator shafts.

“So, you brought me here in the middle of all that?” you asked. “Ah, well, consider it a gift. Of course, you won’t stay here. But, I will make sure you make it across. After all, it isn’t your time.” You inhaled a moment, then exhaled. “Th-Thank you...?” you weren’t sure how to feel right now. There was so much going on in your brain.  
“But, while you are here, I’m sure you have questions.” he says. You bite the inside of your cheek. “Y-Yes... but what about-”

“Time isn’t working properly at the moment. I stopped it so nothing would look too... suspicious,” he says, adjusting his sleeves. You blinked a few times.  
Time just... stopped? Just like that? I don’t get any of this really...  
“Okay, then you’ll answer my questions then?” you asked, no longer panting. He nods.  
“What was that first dream about? And was that me in it?” He shook his head this time. “As of again, it is incredibly hard to gain contact with you. I was trying to show you a way toward A94,” he explains. “But, considering you are the light, and I am the dark... well, let's just say that communication between the two is as difficult as ever.” He clears his ‘throat’. “As for you being in it, that is a firm no. That was an old memory of a patient of mine. I only needed you to see me.”   
You thought about more questions.  
“So, you sent that box?” At that, he nods. “How did you know the date I was born then?” You had your arms folded. “I know lots of things. I’ve been shattered across time and space... and being able to see how The Angel of the Light grew up is very easy to obtain.”  
The Angel of the Light? These nicknames were becoming too much. “So... What...” you were thinking how to word this exactly.   
“The CORE... What do I do about the CORE then?” this one he thought about.  
“I built the core eons ago for the safety and survival of our species.” he began, “And now that it is coming down, which, might I add, there was no way of stopping-”

“-I believe my old colleague would be best to assist in a temporary one.” He states simply. He does something with his hands, and up appears a view of the entire scene you’d just left behind. “Alphys?” you asked, but he shakes his head. “Yes, Alphys could be helpful too. But, Alphys wasn’t very keen on the CORE and its structure. She’s a bit younger than Sans and I.” At that, your eyes widen. “Sans?” you look over to him. He just nods, his hands now resting together behind his back.

“He was supposed to be the next Royal Scientist. Asgore and I both agreed at that.” he says, “But after my accident... Sans quit altogether.” You were listening intently. “He use to be a brilliant scientist and one hell of a workaholic. Though I’m sure the workaholic part was for his brother.”  
He inhales and exhales. “Now he’s a brilliant ex-scientist who is as lazy as they come.”  
His words might have sounded slightly harsh, but you could feel that he hated to see Sans this way.  
“Although, he has always drank ketchup on its own- which I still despise and don’t understand.” he joked, and it got him a small chuckle in return.

“So... wait, why are we only making a temporary one? Shouldn’t it be permanent?” At this, he looks over to you. “No. Not if you’re going to break the barrier soon.” His words hit you like a slap on the face.  
“O-Oh... Right,” you say, looking out at Hotlands again. The reaching hands of the monsters catching your gaze. You wipe the remaining sweat from your forehead. “But the CORE supplies energy for food and such, right?” you asked, and he nods.  
“So, in that regard, you’d need a permanent one.”

“Yes, but not only is a temporary one easier, when you reach the surface a new one will need to be built. And then, a permanent one can be built.” The surface...  
You had never wanted to be in the underground more than you did thinking about going up above.  
Of course, you would do it... For monsters... For Alphys.....

For Sans...

“I think it’s best you return,” he says suddenly. The image fades and a portal is created in turn. “Wait, what if I need your help again?” you asked. He gives you a small smile.  
He uses his hands to create some sort of... journal. It was leather and black. There was even a coded lock on the front. He hands it to you.  
“Since we are acquainted now, use this to right to me,” he says. You stare down at the book. You place it in your bag. “Just, do not use it for silly things. It’s only for communication of serious questions,” he says firmly, and this time you’re the one to nod. 

“Now go.” he motions to the portal. You take a deep breath...  
And you leap through it.

Now, you’re back in that same spot, flying through the air. You felt the same exhaustion as you had about 20 minutes ago before the portal. It must have restored everything to before I went in.  
Great.  
So now, you still felt dizzy, sweaty, and kind of afraid. You reach your hand out, and catch a few hands, one of which being Alphys’.  
“W-We’ve got you!” she stutters, and they help pull you up.  
You were now lying on the gray floor. You were heaving and your arms were spread out. “O-Oh my gosh! You did it!” she stutters, and you hear the monsters there erupt in a cheer, you look up with a smile on your face.

No one has ever cheered for you like this. You sit up, and everyone walks away from the edge so no one else would fall in. Up ahead, you see Sans. Staring, holding his chest. His expression goes from worried to relieved as he spots you.  
A small thump in your chest and you give him a small smile as everyone thanked you.  
Of course, you waved it off.  
You watched as most of the monsters scuttle off into groups. Some hugging, some chatting, others just sitting. It all hit you harder than before, and as you attempted to walk, you had to lean up against the wall. You were so nauseous from everything, that you wanted to throw up. You see Sans walking up to you, and Alphys took the bag off your shoulders. “you okay hun?” he asks in a soft voice, taking your face in his hand to see you.  
You were exhausted...   
“H-Here, let's get her a-away from Hotlands,” Alphys suggests, and you think Sans nods in agreement. The two walk you into a giant hall full of pillars. The stained glass gave the place a sunny look with the light shining against it.   
“I-I’ll be fine,” you make the two of them let you go. “I just... needed a moment.” they both look at you worriedly. “Are... Are you okay Alphys?” you ask her. “Uh... w-well I’ll be fine.” you could tell she was lying through her teeth. But, you’d deal with that in a moment.   
“i still can’t believe you managed to make it to the other exit, get all of the monsters out of the CORE, and jump from the exit to the hallway,” Sans says, flabbergasted.  
When you thought about it, you couldn’t believe it either.   
You’d never thought you’d be able to do such things in your entire life.

“Y-Yes! She even carried m-me up the e-elevator!” Alphys told him. “jeesh hun...” he mumbles. You give an embarrassed smile. But, it soon fades. “While this is great and all, how do we get back?” you asked them. Alphys looks to Sans. “i mean, i could teleport everyone. but, that is gonna wear me thin. i’ve already teleported quite a few times today.” he admits.   
“So, how many teleports do you think you can handle at this point?” you asked.  
He thought about it, and Alphys waited silently.   
“about 2 or 3 more at most. especially considering the distance.” he says, “i could probably carry all the other monsters at most.”

You nod to him. “Well, I can stay up here for a bit longer, I’m not worried about that.” you look to Alphys. She nods as well, “I-I’ll be fine too!” You put your hands on your hips. “Then it’s settled, the both of us will stay here until you’re recharged,” you say to him.  
“alright...” he says hesitantly. “I-I’m going to go check and make sure the others are okay,” Alphys says and walks back into that hallway. That left you and Sans alone.  
You’d been through an emotional train ride today, and you knew you were in for more the moment Alphys left the room.  
“you really scared me there for a second hun,” he says. And here it comes...  
you nodded. “Sorry. I just... got all super-hero and... you know.” you say, and it earns you a chuckle from him. “so uh... can we talk about earlier?”  
Oh yeah. The train has arrived alright.  
“I suppose we’d better...” you mumbled, rubbing your arm sheepishly. He sighs, “i... i didn’t know that you were in an arranged marriage.” he starts.   
Fuck. “I-I know... it isn’t your fault Sans. I just... things are kind of complicated at the moment on the surface.” You explain. “i just... i wanted to say that i’m sorry if i made ya feel uncomfortable or anythin’.” You shook your head at his words.  
“No, I wasn’t uncomfortable I just... I was afraid...” you mumble the last part.  
“afraid of what?” You look to him.  
“Afraid of...”  
The consequences?  
No, that isn’t the truth. Or, at least the whole truth.  
“Afraid of getting attached afterward.” Now that was the truth. If you’d have kissed him right then, you would have never wanted to leave the underground. You’d have wanted to keep things just the way they were and never go back.  
Of course, that would contradict you breaking the barrier.  
You felt shaky still. And then, you lean into him.

He wraps his bony arms around you in comfort.  
You felt... safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was rollercoaster!  
> I love your comments and kudos! They are greatly appreciated!  
> Also, if you wanna see when the last few chapters come out each day, make sure to click the bookmark button and you'll have easier access to the story!  
> And remember, Beware the man who speaks in hands...


	23. The Barrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Got a little busy this morning, so you get an afternoon post!  
> I really wanted to put a little bit more character development into Alphys before book one ended, so I thought a break from chaos would be perfect for this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy~~~!!!

You were leaning against one of the pillars of the judgment hall, Alphys asleep now. You decided that once she was asleep, you’d look around, and see what this barrier looked like. You knew it had to be at the exit, obviously.  
So, now was your chance. You took quiet steps through the judgment hall, drinking the scene like a smooth glass of water. It was really getting to you how you couldn’t tell the time down here. You were only able to count the days as they had. And, something about them being trapped down here for hundreds upon hundreds of years told you that there was no way their clock was 100% accurate. You could tell that the room meant something to Sans, due to the way he’d looked at it before leaving.  
You didn’t question, as now wasn’t the time to bring up such sensitive conversation.   
Recently, you’d been thinking about how far you’d gotten as a person in just three weeks or more/less. You’d come a long way, that was for sure. You’d gone from the girl who could barely stand a small blizzard to the girl who literally jumped from a building sinking into lava.  
You couldn’t even count the number of times you’d fallen down here.  
Your arms were crossed to keep yourself at ease. 

You make your way out of the hall, and into another hallway. Which, makes you think about how many hallways you’d encountered while down here. It was quite a lot of hallways...  
These hallways were purely gray, you’d noticed. And by the time you reach a crossway, you got down the hallway instead of the next room. It reminded you of the Ruins. When you turn the corner, there are a bunch of steps that you walk down. You listen to the soft taps of your worn out shoes against the flooring.  
When you reach the bottom and turn the corner, you see...  
Nothing. just an empty room full of nothing but some random planks of wood.

Strange, You thought.

So, you backtrack to the pathways and go the last route. Immediately, you can tell what the place was. Light shone in through the cracks of the marble ceilings, showing rays of it against the soft looking flowers that had been planted all across the room. This was the throne room. What gave it away? The dust-caked chair that was a beautiful gold and lavender color. It stood in the middle of the room, and a second one was placed underneath a white sheet.  
You weren’t sure what that was about.  
Now, the room was practically a greenhouse with leaves seeping through certain cracks in the floor, walls, and ceiling. The flowers were bloomed all over like they were constantly taken well care of.  
There were leaves and grass all over. It was a sight to behold.  
You carefully go through the makeshift garden, making sure not to step on the beautiful golden flowers. You leave the throne room and make it into a room that felt just like when you’d first fallen in the underground. Only, no flowers. The soft green grass was tempting to lie down in, but know you needed to do what you came here to do before Sans got back or Alphys woke up.

Of course, another hallway.  
But this time, as you turn the corner, a white shimmering barrier stood right in front of you. It was almost beautiful. It glowed with what you could tell to be the most powerful magic you’d encountered in the underground. Obviously, it was stronger than the CORE itself!  
You took a step forward, and it felt like glass beneath your shoes. Hell, it sounded like glass beneath your shoes! You could feel all its power from your soul's core.  
It gave you shivers.  
“How did the legend go?” you asked yourself, and a small echo ensued. “Right, Seven mages trapped the monsters with the barrier, and only seven human souls can shatter it.”   
You knew down and you trace your palms over it. The strange vibrations and of the magic pulsed through your veins -- or at least it felt like it -- and you swiped your hand back. You had to break this massive amount of magical energy in one fell swoop, successfully, and survive?  
“Shit...” you curse aloud. You stand back on your feet, and for a moment you do nothing but watch the barrier shimmer in all its powerful glory. It may have been what monsters hated, but looking at it from an aesthetic point, it was amazing. You pulled A94 from your bag and look into the breaking the barrier section. Though all that it said was exactly what you’d already known.   
That it was your duty as The Angel of Monsters to break it, and that it would take the most strength out of everything to break it.

None of it helped you.   
You thought about pulling the notebook Gaster gave you right about now, but you’d hate to bug him right after he had saved your ass from falling. You decided you’d wait until tomorrow to do so. You sighed and left the barrier entirely. It was causing you to think too hard after such a long day. Your eyes were droopy, and you desperately needed some rest.   
You start walking back, still careful not to crush the golden flowers. On the way, you were back to the page about revival. But, then you turned over one too many pages and saw; “Crossing between the realms.” you had read it out loud. 

It's not like it mattered since you were alone.

The book had told you about how you were able to not only communicate with the dead through visions and ‘meditational moments’ but how you could actually travel to their ‘place of resting’.  
You knew it was perfect, and quite frankly you were pretty good with healing. You no longer needed to practice that, and there are no more flowers to help.   
This was the perfect opportunity. So, you’d talk to the both of them about moving on tomorrow.  
When you arrive back in the judgment hall, Alphys was still asleep. Her glasses put off to the side and she was passed out harder than you’d thought.   
You gave her a soft smile before sitting down against the wall.   
Though, you weren’t expecting her to flutter her eyes open right then and there...

She looks over to you groggily. “Up already?” you asked softly. She doesn’t really respond to that. “I-Is... Sans here yet?” she asks in a whisper. You shook your head. She sighs, and sits up a bit more, as her body was beginning to slide down the wall.   
“So, are you actually okay?” you asked her, getting straight to the point. She gives you a nod, but you shake yours in return. “I can tell when you’re lying,” you say, causing her to look over at you.   
She takes a deep breath. “You just... r-reminded me of someone, e-earlier today I mean,” she explains. But, she doesn’t go any further.   
So, you prodded a little bit. “You know... it’s okay to talk about it.” you say, “It helps.”  
She looks to you, deciding how she feels about that.   
“She was... w-well... This girl I liked.” you felt a small blush come to your face. “N-Not that I l-like you in that way!” she immediately closes those thoughts and you sigh in relief.  
“Just... usually y-you’re so p-preserved and quiet. But, today you w-were this heroic figure. Like, n-no matter how much you felt comfortable hiding in your shell... y-you let that go for the sake of o-others.” you felt touched by her words.  
“H-Her name was Undyne.” You hadn’t heard the name before, so you listen quietly. “She was always l-looking out for others before h-herself.” She explains, “She w-was the captain of the royal g-guard, so she knew she had to be strong f-for us... b-but deep down you could tell how sad and scared she was.”  
“But, m-most of the time she was strong because that’s j-just who she was. She was a true hero...” you could tell that Alphys was close to this girl. You looked down at the book...  
Tomorrow. I’m doing this tomorrow, whether they like it or not. You thought.   
“Feel better?” you asked her gently. And for a moment, a small smile came to her features. And she nods. “Y-Yeah... actually. A little bit.”  
You nod and close your eyes. You leaned your head back and she says, “Thank y-you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 100 kudos guys!  
> I also wanna thank you for even reading this! I have to say, I wasn't too sure how people would react to the idea, but this book has been circling in my mind for a while.  
> I always appreciate the kudos, as well as the delightful comments!  
> And remember, I totally ship lesbian fish and nerdy lizard!  
> :P


	24. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is... early. But if I don't do this now, I'll forget.  
> I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to post today because that strange logout page popped up for me as well and I couldn't get anything on Ao3 to work.  
> But that finally went away so... yeah!  
> Here this is!  
> I also just wanted to let you know that this chapter will be much longer than the others. The others are usually anywhere from 4-6 pages, this one is 7-8. 
> 
> ENJOY!

The next morning, you woke up sore but well-rested. You hadn’t had any other dreams, which was probably the reason behind you not being as tired after a fresh eight hours or more.  
But, today you couldn’t let your sore limbs get the best of you. The underground, in just a few weeks, gave you more... oh... what’s the word?  
...Ah!  
Determination.

That’s the word.

You make your way out of bed and sleepily walk downstairs to where Sans and Alphys stood. They appeared to be discussing something... but your senses weren’t exactly all there. When you walked over, both of them look to you. Nothing was said, which was kind of creepy. So, you just sat down in the extra chair pulled up.  
“Well, since you’re a-awake now...” Alphys let out a sigh. “We need to discuss what to do now that the CORE has been... well, y-you know.”  
You took in a deep breath, remembering your conversation with Gaster.  
You thought it to be best to keep your mouth shut about him for now, since there was already enough on our plates. “We need to make a temporary one.” you say, and both of them are shocked at your fast response. “temporary? what good will that do?”

“Y-Yeah! A-And how do you expect u-us to rebuild something in so l-little time?!” she asks.  
You tap your fingers against the desk. Sans leaned up against it.  
“Well, it’s temporary because I'll be breaking the barrier.” there was an unreadable look on Sans’ face. “As for time, what other option do we have? Wait until everyone starves to death?”  
Sans nods, “she’s got a point.” His thumb points to you as he looks at her.

“I mean, this one isn’t going to hold as large of a duty as the original CORE will. Considering we’ll only need it for a certain amount of time,” you explained to her. “A-Alright...” She admits, “I believe I-I might have s-some blueprint a-and n-notes downstairs.” So, Alphys leaves me alone... with Sans... Again.  
It goes dead silent, and you decide to pull A94 out from your bag lying next to Alphys’ chair.  
You leaned your head into your right hand, flipping through pages with your left.  
You could feel the tension in the air. It made you anxious.  
Hell, you could barely even focus on reading because you could feel him staring at you. “so... can i ask you something?” he says. You look over at him, kind of thankful that he broke the ice.  
“Uh... yeah? What is it?” He took a deep breath in and out, then looked at you for a moment.  
“never-mind i’m g-gonna go help alphys.” he immediately runs down the steps faster than I’d ever seen him go.  
Your eyes were still staring where he stood, and you were confused more than ever before. “What the hell?”

Snas' POV (3rd)

He’d reached the bottom of the steps, gripping his chest in a panic. He couldn’t stop thinking about what you had told him. He felt strongly for you, that was a no-brainer. But, he knew that there were too many variables going against him at the moment.  
The CORE’s demise  
The Angel thing  
The fiancé  
But, he knew what it meant when the soul of a monster did what his was doing to him. Pounding in his rib cage like he had run for miles with no stop, the way his thoughts would get when you looked at him a certain way, how he would get nervous as hell just being around you.  
Of course, it was just growing stronger by the day.  
At first, it wasn’t as strong.  
It was just a thump every now and then, and occasionally he would have to second-guess himself about what to say to her. He leaned his skull against the metal wall, and let his breathing calm down. “I-I knew it!”  
Though, that didn’t last long, as Alphys had come out of nowhere and surprised you. “jeesh alphys, next time how’s about a warning?” he said, still gripping at his hoodie. She gave him a soft smile. “S-Sorry. I didn’t m-mean to startle you...” she says, and he immediately just waves it off. “B-But... you like her, r-right?” the question brought him a strange dread. Like, if he’d answered yes, he’d never be able to get over you.  
The way you smiled, the look in your eyes, the sound of your giggle...  
How brave you’d been for others when everything was crashing down...  
“S-Sans!” Alphys snapped him out of his daze. “You don’t e-even need to say anything to tell me y-you like her.” she puts her hands on her hips. “yeah well... not like i can ‘ave her anyway,” he mumbled to the lizard. She gave you a small, sad smile. “H-Hey... don’t get bent out of shape over that g-guy.”

“that ‘guy’ is her fiancé alphys.” he used air quotes. Never before would he be able to feel this way about someone. His soul had found a match... and that was the only match he’d have until the day he turned to dust. Not that before he’d ever actually wanted anything to do with a girl or guy in that way... But the thought deemed on him a few times here and there.  
He hated getting attached to people. He felt that one day everything could just RESET and he’d lose it all without a chance to even blink.  
It drove at his mind every night.  
He was lonely. Oh so lonely...  
And he could see it in her eyes as well.  
The thought of being alone together gave him tingles.  
“So what?” she says, “N-Nicole likes you too. I-I can see it. And y-yeah, she’s in an arranged m-marriage. But, you know what Sans?”  
He looked to alphys with expectancy. He hoped her words would change his mind and help him.

“That g-girl upstairs? That’s your soulmate, Sans. A-And she likes you. Not th-that man on the surface.” She had a point. You were his soulmate. And if what Alphys said was true, she likes him. “And if things don’t work out o-on the s-surface with that, then m-make it count down here.” He let go of the grasp on his hoodie, and his hands dropped to his sides.  
“y-yeah... you’re right,” he mumbled. He nods to the scientist, “thanks...”  
She smiles at him. “Now, g-go get her!” she says and pats his arm. He nods, takes a few deep breaths, and walks upstairs...

But you were gone.

Reader's POV (2nd)

“Okay, I think I’m ready to try this.” you thought out loud. After Sans’ strange burst, you decided that now was the perfect opportunity to try this out. You were in Waterfall, but a different area than usual. You didn’t want any interruptions from anyone.  
You knew this was serious, and you really just wanted to talk to anyone I could find the help them... SAVE them.  
You took a few deep breaths and sat on the ground. You’d found the perfect spot to stay in for the time being. It was surrounded by echo flowers and glowing blue waters that lit the room up beautifully. You’d gotten the biggest platform, and you’d found yourself at peace for once in a little while. Waterfall was like a sanctuary to you at this point.  
You opened the book up to the bookmarked page and began reading through the instructions. You were glad that it wasn’t just another ‘blindly go in and focus’ type of thing.  
“Step one, Find a calm spot. Check.” You read aloud, “Step two, sit down to your own comfort level.” You cross your legs and get situated as best you could. “Check.”  
“Step three, take deep breaths for while until you are completely calm.” You did so.

You felt that you were trying to meditate just on how the steps were sounding.  
Although, you couldn’t complain about that really. With the way things were going right now, you were going to need it.  
“Check,” you said, breathing out. You were very calm now, and you continue reading, letting the water take over any remaining sound. “Step four, perform the circle.”  
You’d already read up on “the circle” on your way to Waterfall. It was fairly simple to perform, as it wasn’t as hard for you to focus your magic and it wasn’t any harder than healing. Though, you hadn’t tried it yet... until now.  
You took one last breath, in and out, then took your hands together, close your eyes. You let all your emotions out into your hands and out of your palms, letting all the energy go into...  
You opened your eyes and right in front of you was the orb you’d created. You gave a soft smile.  
At that point, you stopped looking at the book. It was as if your brain had been trained on exactly what to do before you yourself even knew. You shut your eyes back and concentrated on its feeling. It’s presence. 

The next thing you knew, you fluttered your eyes open to be standing. The place around you felt cold, but not in temperature necessarily. The area was cloudy and gray all over. Like... Like Dust.  
It sent a shiver up your spine. “P-Papyrus?” you called out, spinning around. You didn’t hear the kind of response you were expecting. “You’re late punk!” you whip around and see a fish monster. Her scales were blue and her beautiful long hair was up in a ponytail. “Uh... what?”  
“Oh, darling look at those legs!!” You watch as a very flamboyant robot begins to check out your legs. You blushed, embarrassed.  
You were a little flustered at the sudden nicknames and new faces appearing out of nowhere. And you felt like your bravery had washed away for a moment. “Oh! Human!” Papyrus appears out of thin air as the other two had.  
“You’re here! I was beginning to worry!”  
“O-Oh... sorry...?” you say, unsure of what to make of the mix of personalities.  
“This is Mettaton!” he gestures to the robot, and she- he- THEY give you a little wave.  
“And this is Undyne!!” You raise your eyebrows at that. “Oh! H-Hi!” It made you really think about what Alphys had told you before-hand. How you reminded her of Undyne. You blushed. “A-Alphys t-told me about you both,” you say.  
“Well, I hope they were good things!” Mettaton spoke. HE spoke, you realized. “What is all this commotion over here you thr-” A large goat woman stood before you.  
That’s new.  
“Oh dear! How did a girl like you get in a place like this!” She spoke kindly and worried for your sake. “This is who I was telling you about my Queen!” Papyrus said, gesturing to you.  
They were all so... upbeat. Was it because you’d showed up? That... sounded pretentious.  
“Oh, right! The Angel as they call you, correct?” she asks, and you nod shyly. This felt like a whole new territory now. You were a fish out of water suddenly.  
“P-Please... just call me Nicole...” you say to them. They each had a smile on their face.  
“Well, Nicole, it is an honor to finally meet you in person!” The goat lady says. “My name is Toriel!” she held out her hand to shake, but when you go to shake it, yours phases right through.  
“O-Oh... well, that’s alright.” she looked embarrassed. Probably no more embarrassed than you, of course.  
“So, you really gonna break the barrier?” Undyne asks you. You twiddle your thumbs. “Well... I’m gonna try my best,” you say. You knew it could be bad to make promises that held such high expectations, regardless of the situation. You hadn’t tried yet, and you didn’t even know if you were truly able to do such a thing.  
“I-I’m also... supposed to revive you.” you stutter, and they look surprised. Had they not known that? “But, the barrier is my first priority. I mean, not that I don’t wanna revive you all and such! It’s just-”

“Don’t worry darling~! We can see everything that’s happening there.” You blink a few times, and Mettaton winks at you. You blushed at the realization that they’d probably seen you with Sans in multiple awkward occasions. “A-ANYWAY.”  
“So, why have you come here now, then?” Undyne asks.  
You felt nervous. “W-Well...” Now, you fiddled with the hem of your shirt. “...for one, I was hoping you could help me out with this barrier situation. I-If you had any tips or what-not?” It felt silly to ask. I guess it’s hard to quit cold turkey, huh?  
“I... I do not, sadly.” Toriel says. The rest shake their head until you reach Papyrus. “Well, all I can give you is an air hug of inspiration from The Great Papyrus!” he says, posing. It makes you smile. He gives you an air hug, as he’d promised. It made you chuckle at it.  
“I-I’m also here... for Alphys and Sans.” at that they looked at one another. “Things are... getting tense, to say the least. And, I feel like...” your stutter had passed with saying this. “... like they need some hope too.”  
They each gave you a small smile. “They need to know that... that you’re still there for them!”

“So, any messages or... or anything?” It was a little desperate sounding, but the situation wasn’t going to get any easier. “I have one,” Undyne says, and walks closer to you. She whispers in your ear, “Tell Alphys... that I still love her after all these years.” Your face went flushed just thinking about how Alphys might react to that. You nod to her, and she backs away. Each one gave you their own message to a certain someone.  
“Tell Alphys that she’s still my best friend, and my number one fan~.” Mettaton.  
“Tell them both to never give up... and to always feed you.” Tories gave you a small giggle.  
Then Papyrus approached.  
Leaned over and whispered, “Tell my brother that he’s never alone. He never was...! And to take better care of himself!” You wanted to tear up at all of these, but you kept strong.  
Your eyes were growing heavy. “I’ll tell them. I promise.”  
Now that was a promise you would keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I kinda had a hard time portraying all the characters in this situation... idk I tried.  
> Anyways, I love love love it when you kudo and comment! It brightens my day! So make sure that you do that if you liked it!  
> And remember, Have an amazing day!


	25. Her Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, guys...!  
> The moment you've all been waiting for!  
> The final chapter!  
> It isn't really action filled or anything, more like... a calm before the storm moment!  
> It IS kinda short, but it felt right to stop it there.  
> So, I hope you enjoy~!

Opening your eyes once more, you were facing nothing but a wall, back to your sitting position. The calming waters were there once again, and the world around you was more blue than grey. You let out a sigh and lied down backward.   
You were almost positive there were several more of the monsters that had to be revived. But, that would be a conversation for later. You were secretly congratulating yourself that you’d passed over successfully.  
With that, you grabbed A94 and stood to your feet once more, stumbling with your balance at first.  
“there ya are!” You whip around and find Sans standing a few pathways away. He teleports closer to you, and you could feel the butterflies in your stomach already.   
“alphys found the blueprints and such.” he says. “don’ know why ya keep runnin’ off like that.”   
Even though the both of you ‘made up’ back in the judgment hall, you couldn’t stop the thumping and the nervousness. It was there stronger and harder.  
“I uh...” How could you bring this up without it coming out wrong?  
“I went to The Realm of the Dead.” Smooth. Real smooth.  
He looks to you, surprised. “w-what? on your own? without anyone's help?” he looked... a mixture of emotions. From concerned to happy to shocked to one that's indescribable. You nod and he responds with, “did you... did you see him?” his voice was cracked now. You slowly nod, and he looks like he wants to cry.   
You couldn’t handle people crying around you, because you never knew how to console them properly. But, you walk up to him and open your arms after putting the book aside. He was hesitant a moment, but he slowly made his way into your arms, his head resting on your shoulder. “He wanted me to tell you something...” you start in a whispering voice. He doesn’t move, just clutching at the back of your shirt like his life depended on it. 

“w-what did he s-say?” You rubbed big circles on his boney back. “He said, That you aren’t alone and you never were. And that you should take care of yourself.” You could feel his tears drenching your sleeve and shoulder. You leaned your head into the crook of his neck and continued the circles on his back.   
“did he really say that?” he mumbles. You give a soft nod, “I promise... he did.”   
And with that, it goes silent from the both of you. The only sounds were the waters and his occasional sniffle or shake breath. You wanted to revive them all before you did anything else. But, with the CORE down and the barrier needing to be broken in a short amount of time...  
You lift your head slightly and give him a small peck on the side of his skull. He still doesn’t move.   
Though, after about five more minutes, he releases you. He wipes his eyes with his sleeves. You assist in wiping a few stray tears from the side of his cheekbones. “thanks...” he says softly. “Oh, and Toriel said something about feeding me, but I’m not sure what that's about.” And at that, he chuckles. You said that in attempts to cheer him up, and apparently, it worked. You hold out your hand, and he takes it. The pounding in your soul was bearable for the time being.  
You pick up the book and begin walking through Waterfall together.  
“so, is this fiancé of yours... handsome?”  
“Sans!” I shook my head, but I had a small smile on my lips. “what? i’m just trying to get to know my competition!” he says, and at that, you laughed. “Well, I suppose he is. But, i’ve never been one for the lookers,” you say.  
He nods. “is he smart?” Your lips pursed.   
“Uh... define smart.” he looks over to him. “like, does he have any degrees or know something particularly well?” You ponder a moment before answering.  
“He recently graduated in business.” Sans chuckles slightly and nods. “alright well, how smart is he with basic stuff? ya know... manners, communication... that kinda stuff.”   
You sighed. “Depends on who you ask.” you wanted to use hand gestures but both were taken at the moment. “If you ask me, he isn’t the brightest tool in the shed.” he laughs. “But, if he’s around my family or something like that, they’d tell you he is ‘an adequate man who is more than gentlemen-like’!” You both laugh at that.

“ya know nicole-”

“That's... not my real name.” you felt so much more confident at the moment. You wanted to spill your guts to this man, but you couldn’t. “really?” he looks to you with confusion.   
“It's my middle name.” You bite your lip. “My real name is...” you took a deep breath. “My real name is Desirae.” He processes the name for a moment, then a smile reaches his face once more. “well, it’s nice to meet you... desirae.”  
You nod in response.   
The silence takes over as you were going to be approaching Hotlands very soon. “listen, hun, can i ask somethin’?” he asks. You look back over to him. “You aren’t gonna run away again, are you?” I asked him. He chuckles sheepishly. “no. sorry ‘bout that.” he mumbles the last bit.   
“It's alright, what is it?” He looks to you with the blue covering over his cheekbones. “i wanna take ya on a date.” The words surprise you, then added you. “Sans-”  
“hear me out first, okay?” he lets go of your hand, and you listen. We had stopped now, right before turning the corner to go through Hotlands. “i know ya got a fiancé, and i realize that we can’t really be together on the surface. but, if just for while we're down here...”You were biting the inside of your cheek. “...go on one date with me? please?”   
You rubbed your arms from the goosebumps that had gone up to them. The way he looked at you just then, like you were all he wanted right now...  
It stifled your breath, and your soul couldn’t take saying no. You did want to make it work between you and Sans.  
You really did.  
You nod, “Okay... yeah.” You let out a sigh. “Just one date.”  
The happiness that washed over his features made you smile in return. “no one from the surface has to know, okay?” You nod in response, and he holds his hand out for you this time.  
You walked back to Hotlands, hand-in-hand with Sans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THE TORMENT BEGINS AGAIN! (Not for you but for me)  
> I haven't finished the first chapter just yet, so you'll have to give me some time to collect my thoughts on where I'm going with the story.  
> When I first started making it, I wasn't expecting to make a second book so... yeah.  
> I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the chapter! I love reading them, so if you are comfortable with it, comment them! I also love it when you leave a kudos on the book because that tells me that you like what I'm doing!  
> And remember, The end is never the end!  
> Thanks again guys, and I'll post again soon. (Hopefully) ;P

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think in the comments if you so please.  
> Leave a kudos if you enjoyed and want more.  
> And make sure to take care of yourselves, because someone really cares about you!


End file.
